Asura's Awakening
by ICanHearPokemon'sVoices
Summary: It's been a few months since Asura's defeat. However, a dark force wants to revive the powerful Kishin using the Triforce. Full summary inside. GhiraLink, KidCrona, MakaSoul, ZeldaImpa. Hiatus.
1. Prologue: Power of the Gods

Prologue: Power of the Gods

**Summary: ****It's been a few months since Asura's defeat. However, a dark force wants to revive the powerful Kishin using the Triforce. A new student appears at DWMA, claiming to be a Meister, but with all his powers, is he really what he seems?**

**Really, just like Monster, this is a random story that came about as a result of my friend and I talking and then Kid's theme song came on and I giggled because I was reminded of Ghirahim and Fi basically being like Soul and the other weapons and Demise and Link being their 'Meisters'. **

**Pft. I looked up Meister and it means Master in...German I think. :/ So...yeah. That also firmed my belief that I should do this story.**

**As said in the summary, this story is Post-Asura's defeat, meaning Asura's already dead. So, no, he is not alive. This prologue is just, you know, a basic backstory.**

**So, yeah.**

**I don't own the Legend of Zelda or Soul Eater. :/**

**Read and Review, please. :D**

* * *

There is an ancient relic that has appeared in many texts throughout the ages.

It is called: the Triforce.

Legend has it that the three goddesses who created the land—Din, Farore, and Nayru—also forged the Triforce using a piece of their essence.

Din formed the Power of the Triforce to give people the ability to do what they wanted.

Farore made the Courage piece to help the humans uphold law.

Nayru formed the Wisdom shard, allowing people to have the intelligence to think for themselves and create order.

However even though the three goddesses forged the Triforce, they were not allowed to use it themselves. To protect it, they surrendered it to Hylia, the divine goddess who watched over the humans, Hylians, and other races.

The hearts of the different tribes grew dark with desire. When they heard about the Triforce's capability to make any wish a reality, they wanted the sacred relic for themselves.

With the darkening of their minds, their souls sank into greed and lust, resulting in the first evil humans—or Kishin eggs- as the people all scrambled, murdered, and devoured one another to reach the Triforce.

Hylia returned the artifact back to Farore and her siblings to prevent the corrupted beings from obtaining it.

Farore and her sisters agreed to shatter the Triforce, sending the pieces far across the earth where they would be buried beneath the ground with a special guardian appointed to each fragment. The knowledge of the Triforce's whereabouts would be planted in the minds of two humans that shared a quality of one of the Triforce pieces.

The Sheikah, a very secluded and mysterious tribe, were tasked with sensing when the shards of the Triforce were endangered and to warn a being who had the power of a god.

With the Triforce broken and hidden, the tribes returned to their senses, knowing that without the location of all three Triforce pieces then the warring going on amongst themselves was completely void; once again, they were stable in mind, body, and soul.

However that did not stop all the blight within the land.

Kishin eggs continued to grow in number and the first Kishin, Asura, was born. His powers were extraordinary—matching that of the being who protected the Triforce's secret-but dangerous and he was eventually sealed away.

To combat the evil human infestation, a school called the Death Weapon Meister Academy (or DWMA)—founded by the descendant of the Triforce's protector and the same being who contained Asura- was built over the Kishin's shrine, training young Meisters and their weapon partners.

A new evil is on the rise, however, seeking to take the Triforce for its own wicked intentions.

* * *

**And yes, before you even say anything, there will be descriptions. Why? Fudge, I'll explain in chapter 1 even though I am tired of explaining why I do descriptions!**

**Anyway, I got nothing else to say, but flames are NOT welcome. Got it? And Yaoi/Yuri-haters, go away.**

**Please Read and Review, otherwise. :)**


	2. The beginning of everything

Ch.1-The beginning of everything

***Sigh* It's about time that I got the first chapter up. It's just been so busy with my eight week class. But once that's over with, I will have free days Tuesday through Thursday which means more writing!**

***Fanfare and dancing***

**Yeah, yeah, keep your shirts on. Anyway, I hope ya like this. :) I actually got a little carried away with writing Ghirahim's and Link's little 'romantic' encounter. :D**

**I don't own the Legend of Zelda, Soul Eater, or what Ghirahim says to the class. :3 You guys will know it when ya see it.**

**Please Read and Review. :)**

* * *

The building at first glance appeared more like a funhouse with its overly eccentric appearance than what it really was—a school—and was located on a large platform that could be easily accessed by a lengthy line of steps.

The academy itself was compromised of a collection of night black towers and spires patterned with white lines and an occasional silly-looking skull; the conical roofs of the towers were a bright red. Enormous candles with infinite flames flickering o the ends of the wicks poked out of shafts along the circumference of the building.

The most distinguishing feature however were the three large cartoon-like skulls lined up at the school's entrance with the middle skull being the largest and sporting three blood red spikes jutting out through its eye and nose holes while the skulls on either side were slightly smaller with slanted eyes that mimicked sadness.

The gaps between the teeth of the skulls served as entrances to the school while hovering above the building were three black orbs that formed an upside down triangle.

A sixteen-year-old male stood in front of the school, hands in the pockets of the black jeans he wore, the legs embroidered with multiple diamonds of varying colors, while the red short-sleeved jacket that was over the thin white tank top swirled around his knees as the wind whispered.

He gave a flick of his head, a black diamond briefly revealed beneath his left eye before the snow-white bangs shielded it again. The pale sapphire earring dangling from his pointed right ear shifted slightly as his uncovered black eye roamed up and down the building as if assessing it.

"This is much too easy…" the teen murmured, a smile gracing his chalky face.

* * *

The room was wide and spacious, resembling a lecture hall rather than a classroom with its pitched floors and conjoined desks. The black board and teacher's desk were positioned at the front of the room; the same skull that was on the outside of the school hung above the black board like a guardian with a gold line arching above the white skull.

Multiple circular windows were indented into the back wall, providing an excellent view of the grounds.

Lit candles flickered on each end of the long row of desks and on either side of the skull, illuminating it slightly in an ethereal glow even though it was early morning.

Standing on the black and white checkered floor that was paved between the desks and the teacher's desk was the white-haired teen who had been at the font of the entrance of the school a few minutes before.

Sitting backwards in a rolling chair to his right was a male in his mid-twenties and five seven, three inches shorter than the sixteen-year-old.

The twenty-five-year-old had sivler-gray hair with a large screw bolt entering through the left side of his head and big, round glasses that occasionally shielded his pale olive-green eyes after reflecting the candle's flames.

The silver-haired male wore clothes that appeared to have been stitched together many times, mostly consisting of light and dark gray patches that made up his shirt, while the lab coat he had on over the shirt was white.

There was a nasty stitch going from the bridge of his nose, curving under his left eye, and wrapping underneath his ear.

His name was Stein the white-haired teen had learned for he had introduced himself as soon as he had set foot in the classroom.

The many students that were in the class were obviously surprised at the newcomer's appearance as they began whispering to each other, but the teen's highly tuned ear caught the soft conversations.

"A Hylian."

"You rarely see them at DWMA."

"Another Hylian like Link."

He ignored the murmuring, giving a flick of his head to move aside the curtain of hair covering his eye and briefly revealing that his left ear was not pointed, but round.

"Hello," he greeted eloquently, "my name is Ghirahim. But to be truthful, I prefer to be addressed by my full title,"

Another toss of his head, but the hair fell stubbornly back into place.

"Lord Ghirahim."

He smiled faintly, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"But I'm not fussy."

The class remained silent, obviously struck dumb by Ghirahim's clear arrogance while a few even leaned back in their seats as if trying to get as far away from him as possible.

Ghirahim let his eyes roam the classroom, assessing his classmates, until his eyes fell on a boy his age.

The boy sat at a middle desk in the center of the row of desks, head bowed as he furiously scribbled something on a sheet of paper, the faint lightly from the candles catching the red flame-shaped earrings pierced to his pointed Hylian ears.

Ghirahim noticed how the sunlight seemed to pounce on the boy's yellow hair, making it shine like golden strands of silk.

Ghirahim raised an eyebrow, making a small, interested "Oh?" at the back of his throat.

He had never seen another Hylian besides himself. But this Hylian strangely caught his fascination; he felt…drawn to the strange boy that he had just met and before he knew it, he had teleported behind the blonde, leaving a scattering of black and white diamonds in his wake.

A few of the students glanced around, searching for the white-haired teen, while Stein lowered his head slightly, the right lens of his glasses glinting suspiciously.

Ghirahim stared over the blonde's green-clad shoulder, observing whatever it was he was writing; he couldn't read what it said, but he could tell that it was the Hylian alphabet—the outdated version to boot.

His curiosity was piqued, though.

"What are you writing?"

The boy froze, having been too focused on what he had been doing to sense Ghirahim's presence, and slowly looked over his right shoulder.

Ghirahim was met with purest blue eyes he had ever seen and he didn't—couldn't—move, mesmerized by the depth and innocence they displayed.

The two stared at each other before Ghirahim smirked, deciding that he wanted the blonde.

He placed his hands on the boy's shoulders, leaning closer so that their faces were side by side.

"Well, hello there," he murmured, giving the blonde's cheek a light lick—an affectionate gesture that he had learned when he had been young—before he rubbed his nose close to the boy's hairline on the side of his neck, causing the boy to tremble faintly—he was ticklish there?—just to see what he smelled like; the forest, the wind, water.

Freedom.

Was he perhaps from the secluded village known as Skyloft?

Ghirahim shivered a little and sighed.

He _wanted _this boy.

"Master Link," a soft, monotonous voice said.

Ghirahim gazed lazily to his right, wondering who dared to interrupt his time with the blonde.

It was a girl their age and two inches shorter than Stein with sky blue hair, equally blue eyes partially hidden by half-moon spectacles and simple blue jeans with a T-shirt that swirled both purple and blue together.

Ghirahim stared at her for a second to which she wordlessly blinked at him before he ignored her, looking back at Link.

"So, your name's Link, huh? Cute."

"Master Link."

With an annoyed growl, Ghirahim once again looked at the blue-haired female then narrowed his uncovered eye.

The girl was suddenly thrown back by an invisible force, slamming into the far wall before sliding to the floor.

"Fi!" Link yelled, a hand on his desk in preparation to stand up.

"Pathetic vermin," Ghirahim muttered, giving a distasteful glare at Fi, who was slowly struggling to stand up. He gazed back at Link, a pleasant smile replacing his nasty frown. "Now, where were—"

The white-haired teen stopped when he noticed that Link's seat was empty and began frantically searching for his blonde.

"Fi, are you alright?"

Ghirahim's ear twitched at the sound and he gazed toward where he had tossed Fi to see Link gradually helping the girl to her feet.

His expression darkened and a growl began building at the back of his throat.

Ghirahim abruptly relaxed, his face becoming blank, as he remembered that he had to keep a low profile.

And he had just stupidly used one of his abilities—teleportation was not something a Meister, no matter how high a rank, had.

_Oh, well…_he thought with a unconcerned shrug. _I'll just say that I am able to do that because I learned it in my hometown._

Link gave a mild glare at Ghirahim as he helped Fi sit in her seat.

Ghirahim widened his eye in innocent confusion before he smiled seductively, teleporting to the far side of the room and sitting at the free seat at the end of the desk, leaning his chin in his hands as he stared at Link.

* * *

Link could feel his eyes on him as he continued to write, penetrating his concentration like endless annoying arrows, while Stein resumed the lecture about Soul Resonances, which many already knew, but the scientist wanted to recap on them for some apparent reason.

Link tried to ignore the stare as he focused on the letter he was writing, but it was starting to get to him.

Finally he looked up, locking gazes with Ghirahim who appeared gleeful that he had managed to get a reaction from the boy as he waved when he noticed Link watching him.

Link shot Ghirahim a vicious look that blatantly said "_Fuck off_," before he once again continued writing his letter, ignoring Ghirahim's stares for the rest of Stein's class.

* * *

Ghirahim sighed as he stared at his bedroom.

It was the end of the school day and Ghirahim had decided to check out his dorm room, pleasantly noting that he was a few doors down from Link's bedroom, before he took a shower.

It was a simple room with only a twin bed, a closet for his clothes, and a desk that doubled as a workspace and place to store his school books; it was pretty in its own way.

Ghirahim didn't mind the lack of furniture in the room; it was better than where he had previously stayed and at least he had three meals a day.

Ghirahim walked toward the window above the desk, looking down at the sprawling city below and admiring how the setting sun, now struggling to stay awake as drool dripped down the side of its mouth, bathed the top of the roofs in an ethereal glow.

This was freedom to him.

Ghirahim put a hand against the window, staring down at the miniature people traversing the city before it was too dark—and dangerous—to stay out any longer.

There was still a leash around his neck, however, and it could be tightened at any moment.

Ghirahim shook his head as he removed his hand from the glass.

_No, no, this is for Master, _he thought as he reluctantly exited his room and made his way toward the showers. _The only reason I am acting as a lowly Meister is for Master._

* * *

Ghirahim walked slowly down the silent hallway that was barely lit. Anyone would have hurried back to their dorms, afraid of something leaping out at them, but Ghirahim enjoyed the silence…and the darkness.

He was drying his hair as he walked, now wearing loose black pajama pants and a thin white tank top. He shook his head, folding the towel around his shoulders, as his hair naturally fell in front of his eye.

There was a sharp tingle that slithered up Ghirahim's spine and he gradually slowed to a stop, knowing someone was behind him.

Quietly, he summoned a dagger to his left hand as he glanced subtly to the right where the presence was coming from before he suddenly turned around, raising his arm in readiness to throw the knife when he just as quickly stopped.

Ghirahim sighed, lowering his arm back to his side as the dagger disappeared in a flurry of red and yellow diamonds.

"Oh, Master, it's just you."

A pair of crimson eyes floated in the shadows a few feet away, the outline of a form telling anyone that the eyes had a body to go with them.

"Have you found it?" a low, gravelly voice asked.

"Not yet, Master," Ghirahim explained with a quick bow, "it is only the first day and I want to gain their trust before I—"

"Begin your search tomorrow."

A stab of fear ran through Ghirahim and he kept his head lowered, muttering resignedly, "Yes, Master."

"If it is troublesome, begin during the night when everyone is asleep. Do not fail me. You know I hate failure."

"Yes, Master."

"You know that we need it if we are to grant my desires. The old texts speak of its great power and its ability to grant any man's deepest fantasies," the red eyes narrowed slightly before widening as their owner breathed, "We must have the Triforce!"

* * *

**Lol. The meeting between Link and Ghira made me smile like a maniac because I could totally imagine that happening. And I'm sure you all know who Ghirahim's 'Master' is. :)**

**Hmm... *thinks* I guess I have nothing else to say. :/ Except please enjoy. :D And look forward to the next chapter because you'll get to see Black Star being an idiot as usual.**

**Please remember to Read and Review because reviews fill my heart with rainbows and when my heart is filled with rainbows I write more. :D**


	3. Ghirahim vs Black Star

Ch.2-Ghirahim vs. Black Star

**As you can probably tell by the title, yes, there will be a fight.**

**Yes, Black Star is an idiot for asking for one with Ghirhaim.**

**NO, I will not tell you who wins.**

**Thank you to SpeikobraRote, GhiraLinkLover4Ever, and fan del yaoi amuto for actually reading and reviewing this story. :3 I love ya guys! *Hugs***

**Ummm... :/ I hope you enjoy because I guess I kinda went overboard with the fight. :3 I hope I did a good job with it cause it's actually my first really well drawn out battle. :D**

**And don't expect such frequent updates, all right? I'm doing this cause I know the ones who take the time to write a nice review after reading this really want to see what happens next. :D**

**I don't own LoZ or Soul Eater... :/ Bummer.**

**Please Read and Review.**

* * *

Ghirahim had appointed himself to follow both Link and Fi to lunch, standing in-between the two just because he could with his arm affectionately wrapped around Link's waist, the blonde having made no move as of yet to push the offending limb away.

He was obviously ignored by the duo, but that didn't stop him from chatting on about where they should go.

"Hey, new kid!"

The trio paused at the shout and Link glanced around, searching for whoever had yelled it; however, Ghirahim was quicker in pinpointing the origin.

The white-haired teen gazed up at the spikes towering above him to see a boy a year younger and several inches shorter than him standing on the tip of the middle protrusion, hands folded across his chest and a confident smirk in place as he observed the three below him with green eyes.

The boy's hair was a pale blue and stuck out almost in the shape of a star. His shirt was black and sleeveless with a funnel-like collar that had two short strips of gray on the front, rivets running from the top of the strip to the bottom, while similar bands wrapped around his neck like a scarf.

The bluenette's white trousers had large black patches on the knees and were a few inches shy of being full-length jeans with a thick line of grey clothing his waist like a belt while more rivets stood out on his pockets and the ends of his pants.

Slate-colored fingerless gloves covered his hands with heavy wrist weights and had a band adorned with a star across each hand. His black boots were basic with white tips that had a star visible on the toes of each boot.

Printed into the skin of his right shoulder was a star-shaped tattoo a shade lighter than his skin tone.

Standing a few feet behind the boy was a tall and rather well-endowed woman a year older than him with her black hair tied in a ponytail, a few strands left to hang in her face, and indigo eyes.

She wore a sleeveless pale yellow outfit with a skirt at the end which had a slit down the side, a bright gold star emblazoned on the right side of her chest. There was a dark brown scarf around her neck, an equally brown stocking on her right leg that went just above the knee, and a silver sash with rivets that went around her waist twice with half of it hanging diagonally across her hips from right to left.

"You will fight me!" the blue-haired boy said, jabbing a finger at Ghirahim who gave a dumbfounded expression in response.

Ghirahim glanced at Link who had his head in his hands.

"Who is this idiot?"

"That's Black Star," Link sighed, miserably shaking his head, "and his partner Tsubaki. He always picks on the new kids—someone should have warned you about him."

Ghirahim raised an eyebrow, looking ahead again only to bristle slightly when he noticed that Black Star stood a mere foot away from him with Tsubaki behind him.

"Get your partner and let's fight," Black Star persisted, grinning eagerly.

"Black Star, stop picking on the new guy," a feminine voice sighed.

Everyone looked behind them to see two people, a male and a female Black Star's age, climbing up the steps leading to the DWMA.

The girl was fairly petite with ash blonde hair tied into pigtails, olive green eyes, and wearing a typical schoolgirl outfit which consisted of a white blouse with a yellow sweater vest, a red plaid skirt, and black boots with buckles; over the clothes she had on a black trench coat with a cloak-like end.

The boy beside the brunette stood in an aloof manner, his snow-white hair was swept to the left, the beige headband around his forehead bearing a stamp that said 'Soul' and a circular logo featuring a red-lipped mouth baring pointed fangs surrounded by the letters 'E-A-T' in the center, and his ruby red eyes were bored.

He wore maroon pants, a yellow and black jacket with buttons going down the front, and gold and black sneakers that had a pattern on the soles resembling teeth.

"Hello, Maka-san," Link greeted with a smile while Fi nodded, "Soul-san."

"Stay out of this, Maka," Black Star snapped, "I fight the newbies to test their strength and to prove to them that I will surpass God!"

Ghirahim rolled his eyes and stepped into the center of the courtyard, slipping off his jacket and throwing it on the ground beside him.

"Fine by me, Star," he said, holding up his right hand with his fore and middle fingers pointed up, "but all I need to defeat you are two fingers."

That seemed to aggravate Black Star as he glanced at Tsubaki seriously.

"Tsubaki, Ninja sword mode now!"

Tsubaki nodded nervously, her body glowing yellow as she flipped into the air.

Black Star caught the black handle of the short knife-like sword, holding it out in front of him with the blade pointing to the right.

Ghirahim chuckled as he rolled his shoulders back.

"I've been cooped up for far too long. Try to make this interesting for me."

Maka stared at Ghirahim, observing his soul.

The white-haired teen's spirit was huge, twice the size of a normal Meister's soul, and was a pale white with black diamonds surrounding it while a red cape rested around the 'shoulders'.

"I don't think you should fight him, Black Star!" Maka warned, feeling the soul's imposing power bearing down on her and knowing that Ghirahim hadn't even shown his full strength yet. "He's too powerful!"

"No one is too strong for Black Star!" Black Star yelled, charging at Ghirahim as he brought Tsubaki down by his side.

With a sigh, Ghirahim moved his hand to the left, deftly catching the blade between his fingers.

Black Star appeared surprised by the action before he grunted, trying to keep a hold on Tsubaki as Ghirahim slowly, powerfully, brought his hand back up before yanking it back, flipping Tsubaki out of Black Star's hand and tossing her over his head.

Black Star stared in astonishment as Tsubaki transformed back to her human form, skidding back a few feet on her hands and knees, before he rapidly leaped back as Ghirahim flung a knife at him which grazed his left cheek.

"I do not wish to harm you, boy," Ghirahim sighed, several daggers appearing in front of him in the form of a cross, "I suggest you yield."

"As if! Tsubaki, Smoke bomb mode!"

Tsubaki nodded, immediately changing into a black bomb that exploded, expelling smoke that concealed both Black Star and Ghirahim.

Ghirahim remained calm, gradually glancing from side to side, his ear twitching slightly as he listened for movement.

He paused, sending a few daggers to his left then to his right only to hear an indignant, "Hey, watch where you're aiming!" from Link.

"I am beginning to grow tired," Ghirahim announced, "why don't you show yourself?"

"Okay!" Black Star's voice replied from somewhere within the smokescreen.

The haze abruptly cleared and Ghirahim found himself in the middle of a large star made of chain with Black Star positioned at the tip, holding a double-pointed, yellow-handled scythe that was attached to the long links, three black grooves etched below each blade of the double-handled chain scythe.

Ghirahim glanced around in mild alarm and was about to jump above the star when it swiftly closed around him, painfully pinning his arms against his sides.

"Gotcha!" Black Star yelled triumphantly.

Ghirahim snickered as he lowered his head and Black Star's smile slowly faded as he became confused to why Ghirahim was laughing.

"Stop laughing! I have you trapped!"

"Do you, boy?" Ghirahim glanced up at Black Star, his eyes venomous and amused at the same time. "Do you _really_?"

Before Black Star could ask what he meant by that, Ghirahim vanished and the chains coiled to the ground with a clatter.

As the teen disappeared a row of floating daggers encircled Black Star who glanced around in confused apprehension.

The other end of the chain scythe sprung into action, knocking the knives away from Black Star before it landed in his right hand.

"Thanks, Tsubaki."

Tsubaki's face appeared on one of the scythe's blades as she replied, "No problem, Black Star."

"Come out and stop hiding, coward!" Black Star shouted as he searched for Ghirahim.

"Oooh, but I'm not hiding," a voice murmured from behind Black Star as hands clamped down on his shoulders. "Do you even have a sliver of what you got yourself into, initiating a battle against me?"

Ghirahim ran his tongue from Black Star's chin all the way to his forehead, causing the boy to shudder and rapidly turn around, lashing out with Tsubaki.

The white-haired teen lazily ducked under the scythe then slammed the palm of his hand against Black Star's chest, sending the bluenette flying backward.

Black Star landed on his back with a pained grunt, sliding along the rough ground a few inches, before he hurriedly flipped to his feet.

"Tsubaki, Ninja sword mode again!" Black Star ordered. "Then a Soul Resonance!"

"Okay!" Tsubaki said as she once again morphed to the short blade before the two began yelling as they began merging their souls, the sparks between the two spirits getting faster as the souls shifted closer together.

"Oooh, this is getting interesting," Ghirahim gave an amused smile, "you might actually put up a better fight than I originally thought."

Black Star glared at Ghirahim, the electricity sparking through his eyes, before he swiftly vanished from sight.

"Faster now?" Ghirahim calmly gazed at his surroundings, his ears listening for any subtle movement. "Now where did you go, little ninja?"

An elbow was suddenly slammed into Ghirahim's stomach causing him to double over with a gasp before gritting his teeth in frustration.

He tossed a blade ahead of him, but missed as Black Star disappeared once more.

Pain exploded in his back and electricity coursed through his body.

"Black Star Big Wave!"

Ghirahim was thrown forward from the momentum, landing on the ground and sliding until he lay several feet from where he had been struck.

Black Star blinked, waiting for Ghirahim to stand up, but when the teen didn't he grinned and cheered, happily jumping up and down.

"I beat him! This time I really got him!"

"You….just made a _big _mistake, boy."

Maka shivered as the soul around Ghirahim began to grow slightly larger as the wind swirled faster when the white-haired teen began to slowly climb to his feet.

Ghirahim wiped the blood from his mouth as he faced Black Star, unbridled fury swimming through his eyes.

"I was going easy on you, but no more," Ghirahim snapped his fingers and a black rapier-like weapon appeared above him, a ruby encrusted into its oblong handle.

Ghirahim swiped the sword down by his side until the tip barely touched the ground.

_This guy…._Maka thought as a black aura began to darken the circumference of Ghirahim's soul. _What is he….?_

"Come at me if you dare."

"I didn't want to do this, Tsubaki," Black Star sighed, "but Enchanted Sword mode."

Tsubaki nodded quietly as she changed into a pitch black blade, dark lines sliding down Black Star's cheeks and the center of his forehead to form a partial X-shape.

"Ooh, a Shadow weapon," Ghirahim smiled, bringing his blade up so that it covered half his face and sliding his tongue along the top of the sword, "bring it on."

"Tsubaki, let's do Shadow Star Fourth Form—Branched Darkness."

"Okay!" Tsubaki replied as Black Star flipped her into the air and she transformed.

Ghirahim smirked wider as he was faced with two Black Star.

"This boy keeps getting more and more intriguing."

The two Black Star charged at Ghirahim, yelling.

Ghirahim easily dodged both, then grabbed one by the arm, kicked him in the back of the legs to bring him to his knees and used that as a step ladder to climb onto Black Star's back.

"Are we having fun yet?" he asked as he stared at Black Star upside down.

"Time of my life!" Black Star smirked and Ghirahim glanced up to see the other Black Star rushing toward him.

He flipped backward, landing on his hands and as he brought his legs up, one of his feet caught the charging Black Star underneath the chin to which Ghirahim slammed him into the ground as he landed on his feet.

Tsubaki groaned in pain as she lay in the small indentation her collision with the ground had made.

"Tsubaki!" Black Star gasped, standing up and taking a step toward his partner only to stop when he felt cold steel pressed against his throat.

"The first moment you wanted to fight me you engaged a weapon without mercy," Ghirahim whispered, lightly sliding his blade against Black Star's neck to draw out a thin line of blood, "however, I don't have the time to finish playing with you today."

The sword vanished in a sprinkling of diamonds as Ghirahim pushed Black Star to his knees once more.

"Know your place next time or I won't be so lenient," the teen spat as he picked up his jacket and threw it over his shoulder.

He walked toward where Link and the others stood.

"We going?" he asked with a smile.

Maka tilted her head slightly, watching in fascination at how rapidly the teen's soul calmed down.

Stein suddenly rolled out of DWMA's entrance on his favorite chair, a blank expression on his face as a lit cigarette dangled from his lips.

"I heard a fight was going on," he said, taking the cigarette from his mouth, "where is it?"

"Already over," Soul replied with a yawn, revealing his shark-like teeth, "that new kid sure was strong."

Black Star gave a frustrated grunt as he punched the ground, silently vowing that someday he would defeat Ghirahim.

* * *

Ghirahim stared at the rows upon rows of books that went up at least three floors with marble bridges connecting one side of the room to the other.

The teen was in the library after classes had finished for the day, ready to begin his search for the whereabouts of the hidden Triforce.

_If I'm right about this…_Ghirahim mused as he stared at the endless shelves of books before him, the candles on the study desks flickered behind him. _The first level can only be accessed by Two-stars like me while the second level is for Three-stars. Level three is for teachers and staff while level four is for senior Meisters and Death Scythes. Level four is like a restricted section—it might have something on the Triforce._

With a quick glance around to make sure no one was nearby, Ghirahim teleported to the top floor and began walking down the row of bookcases, reading the letters as he passed by.

_It should be under T…_he thought as he entered the T section and began reading the words on the spines of the books, running his finger along them as he searched for the correct word.

"You do realize that this level is forbidden from Meisters of your rank, correct?" a voice asked form behind Ghirahim who glanced over his shoulder to see a boy Black Star's age standing at the entrance to the bookshelf, arms folded across his chest as he observed Ghirahim with critical golden eyes.

The boy had black hair with three white lines that cut across the left side of his hair, stopping in a straight line along the front and back of his head. He wore a standard black business suit with white rectangles that were place in a completely symmetrical manner with six along the seam where the sleeves attached and four along the front of the jacket.

Underneath the jacket was a formal white dress shirt with a metallic skull resting underneath the collar which acted as a tie.

The yellow color of the boy's irises was not one shade—a darker shade of gold ringed around his pupil.

"My apologies," Ghirahim stated with a smile, "I just registered yesterday. But, if I may be presumptuous, are you not a Two-star Meister as well?"

"I am Shinigami-sama's son, Death the Kid, so exceptions may be made," the boy said, "and I know of you, Ghirahim. You are in the same class as I."

"I am sorry. I didn't know that this section was restricted for Two-stars."

Kid's eyes widened slightly as Ghirahim disappeared and he quickly looked behind him to see the white-haired teen perched neatly on the railing that ran along the floor.

"I'll make sure to remember that in the future, Kid-sama," Ghirahim bowed slightly, sweeping his right arm across his chest, contempt for the young Shinigami hidden in his voice, "as for now, though, I bid you adieu."

Ghirahim glanced up from underneath his bangs with a smirk before he leaped backward.

Kid instantly ran toward the railing, placing his hands on the smooth marble cylinder and gazed over the edge, searching the floor several meters below for Ghirahim.

The white-haired teen was nowhere to be seen.

Kid narrowed his eyes slightly, removing his right hand from the railing as he straightened, his eyes never leaving the tiled floor beneath him.

* * *

**Ghirahim sure does like dramatic entrances and exits doesn't he? :3 Anyway, I saw someone doing a reply to reviews for each chapter and it seemed like fun so I wanna do it too. :D**

**Replies for reviews of the previous chapter:**

**GhiraLinkLover4Ever- -Yes. He WAS doomed from the start to be stalked by Ghirahim. :)**

**SpeikobraRote- -When I saw the "Ghirahims mission and his loyality ...ah hell it will be his death..oh wait..." I admit that I snickered and said "Yeeessss," but sadly I don't think I'll kill him here. Yes, he WILL wonder which is best- -loyalty to his master or the missions he has to do (and his love for Link), but in the end he will make one choice. :D Or WILL he? *looks around suspiciously***

**Anyway, I hope you look forward to the next chapter cause Shinigami-sama finally appears~! *Dances* I'm sorry, but I like him. He's so funny and weird. :)**

**Please Read and Review. :D**


	4. Don't trust me

Ch.3-Don't trust me

**It's been about five days... :/ And I've resigned myself to the fact that only SpeikobraRote, GhiraLinkLover4Ever, and fan del yaoi amuto are the only ones who will review.**

**So...uhh...enjoy this one and the next one should be fun too. :3**

**I don't own LoZ or Soul Eater. :/ Damn.**

**Read and Review, please. :D**

* * *

Ghirahim appeared on the other side of the library's ornate double doors and glanced back at them with an irked sneer.

_Stupid Kid…._Ghirahim sulked down the hallway, putting his hands in his pockets as his ear lowered in annoyance. _I will take Master's advice and begin my search during the night when no one is around to suspect my motives….._

As Ghirahim came out into the spacious common area that branched off to the cafeteria, classrooms, and mission board area, the sulking white-haired teen spotted a familiar blonde walking toward the Mission Board with his partner beside him.

Ghirahim smiled, his mood instantly brightening at the sight of the unfortunate target of his affections.

"Hello, Link."

Link had half the mind to keep walking when he heard the voice call his name, but by the time his rational side had told him that, he had already turned around.

Big mistake.

Before he could even ask what Ghirahim wanted, he was pushed against the nearest wall with the white-haired teen towering over him, hands on either side of Link's head.

Link stared at Ghirahim in confusion, wondering what he wanted from him.

Ghirahim continued staring at him with his intense eyes.

Link began to grow uncomfortable under the withering gaze and he shifted slightly, glancing off to the side, the tips of his ears coloring when he still felt the gaze on him.

"Your eyes…"

Link slowly looked back at Ghirahim who appeared confused.

"My…eyes?" Link asked, wondering what the strange teen meant.

"They're like sapphires," Ghirahim tilted his head to the side, "did you know that?"

Link shook his head, still feeling nervous under Ghirahim's unlinking stare.

"No, I—"

Before he could continue, Ghirahim abruptly placed his lips against Link's and the blonde stiffened in surprise.

Ghirahim slowly pulled back and fixed the frozen Link with a stern gaze.

"The next time won't be so gentle, love," he whispered before he smirked, obviously pleased with himself, and strolled away, whistling happily to himself.

"Master….?" Fi asked as she lightly touched Link's shoulder which seemed to bring him out of his stupor.

"Can anyone tell me what in Shinigami-sama's name just happened? !" Link yelled, his voice unintentionally cracking at the end.

* * *

"T-t-t-touchin' on my while I'm touchin' on your," Ghirahim hummed quietly as he made his way to Stein's class, certain he had possibly scared Link for a long time to come. "You know that we are gonna cause I don't give a—"

"Ghirahim?"

Ghirahim paused, glancing over his shoulder to see a red-haired man a few years older than Stein standing a few feet away, watching him with earnest blue eyes.

The red-haired man wore a basic black suit with an olive green button down that was tucked neatly beneath his black belt, and had a long black tie in the shape of a cross.

"Yeah….?" Ghirahim questioned warily, unsure of who the person standing before him was.

"I'm Spirit Albarn. Lord Death, Shinigami-sama, sent me to retrieve you."

Ghirahim blinked, tilting his head slightly to the side, before he lowered his ear as he narrowed his eyes.

* * *

Ghirahim stared at the large door that was marked with a skull looming before him and Spirit.

_Death Room, huh?_ he wondered, observing the gold plaque in the center of the door as Spirit opened it, exposing a long tunnel of Torii gates styled to look like guillotines.

"So, why does Shinigami-sama want to see me?" Ghirahim asked as he and Spirit entered the hallway; he tried to keep the disdain for the founder of DWMA from leaking into his voice.

"He didn't tell me," Spirit replied, not looking at Ghirahim as the tunnel opened up into a huge, dome-shaped room with a domed ceiling painted a bright sky blue that was filled with wispy white clouds that floated lazily within the expanse of blue.

A large platform was positioned in the center of the room with stair leading up to it and was surrounded by an endless sea of sand with a myriad of cross-like foundations erupting up from the ground.

A large mirror with a brass frame and a skull welded onto the top sat in the center of the platform with a strange being silently standing before the mirror.

The being was extremely tall with a black robe that had many jagged edges clothing its entire body with the face shielded by a cartoonish skull.

So this was the feared Shinigami-sama, the one who battle Asura fiercely, unconcerned about his own health or well-being.

Now Ghirahim could see why his Master hated the god. He could feel the arrogance that Shinigami-sama practically oozed; but he reminded himself that he had to be polite to keep off suspicion.

"Hello, Shinigami-sama," Ghirahim greeted with a small bow even though he burned on the inside at having to lower himself to bowing at the Death God. "I am honored to be able to have an audience with you."

Spirit must have been able to sense that Ghirahim was being sarcastic because he was just about to say something when Shinigami-sama interrupted him.

"No need to be so formal, Ghira~" Shinigami-sama chirped, his body swaying from side to side. "I just wanted to ask how your first day at Shibusen went."

That was it? How he did on his first day?

"It was…fine," Ghirahim answered slowly as he straightened. "Everyone was nice."

It felt strange; his Master never asked how his day went.

"Good, good…."

It was apparent Shinigami-sama was smiling even though his mask didn't change.

"If you ever need any assistance or to ask a question, you're free to enter the Death Room anytime you please or write '42-42-564' on any reflective surface."

He…trusted him?

"Of course, Shinigami-sama."

Ghirahim was surprised. Did the Death God really not have any reason to suspect his students for treasonous motives?

"You are free to go back to class," Shinigami-sama began bouncing from side to side once more. "In a few days I will assign you a mission."

"Thank you Shinigami-sama," Ghirahim gave a quick bow before he turned and began walking out of the Death Room.

He gave a subtle glance back at Spirit and Shinigami-sama as he entered the decorative hallway, an insidious smirk crossing his face.

_What a fool, _he thought with a quiet laugh, quite pleased at his acting skills. _He is the founder of the DWMA? He trusts anyone, doesn't he? No wonder it was so easy for Medusa to send in her child to acquire information about this place._

Ghirahim looked forward again, a soft noise forming at the back of his throat as his expression darkened.

_The Triforce will be found all too soon with such an incompetent thing spearheading this school._

Once Ghirahim had exited the room, Shinigami-sama heave a long sigh, his shoulders drooping slightly.

"That sounded troubled," Spirit said as he stared at his Meister. "What is it?"

"That boy has been in touch with something evil."

"Evil…?" Spirit glanced down the long hallway to his left, screwing up his face thoughtfully, before he scratched his neck. "He didn't seem evil. A bit….creepy. But not evil."

The eye holes of Shinigami-sama's mask turned to slits and he whacked the red-head with the side of his large, Styrofoam-like hand.

"Not 'evil' evil, you fool!" the Death God snapped as Spirit whimpered and nursed his aching head which was bleeding slightly. "I meant that his soul has come in contact with something evil; it had a dark aura around it that no one would probably notice unless they had a high level of Soul Perception."

"Oww…." Spirit continued rubbing his head before he looked at Shinigami-sama with one eye. "And this concerns you because….?"

Shinigami-sama fixed the weapon with a blank stare.

"It was not just any evil that I felt emanating from Ghirahim. It was Kishin-like evil."

Spirit's eyes widened as he slowly stood up from his crouch.

"But Asura—"

"Is dead," Shinigami-sama finished. "I know."

* * *

**Asura's dead and Ghira's been in touch with a Kishin-like evil...sus-picious~**

**Oh yeah, I don't own Touchin' on my either. :/ That belongs to 30h3!**

**Ummm... that's about all I have to say. -.-**

**Read and Review, please. :3 Cause they fill my heart with rainbows.**


	5. Old friend

Ch.4-Old friend

**Here ya guys go! :D Have fun with this chapter. XD**

**Oh yeah, I did put up a poll about Crona's gender for this story... :/ But since no one polled, I already decided on the gender Crona would be. So deal with it when the next chapter comes, okay?**

**Once again thanks to GhiraLinkLuver, Speiko, and Fan del for reading and reviewing this. :/ I know some of you have alerted it, but you can at least be courteous to leave a review. :/**

**I don't own LoZ or Soul Eater. :/**

**Please Read and Review. :3**

* * *

There were amaze whispers as they walked past the miniscule amount of people meandering through Death City.

Several stopped and stared at the strange duo while children who held onto their mother's hand eagerly pointed at the tall and lithe female that walked silently beside the shorter girl.

The lean woman of no older than twenty had short blonde hair with a single long lock hanging over her right shoulder and reaching to her chest, two red rings coiled around the center of the thick strand, and exhibited ruby red irises.

The blonde wore a black sleeveless uniform that exposed her small shoulders and slim upper back. Three red rings attached themselves to the collar with a yellow teardrop dripping below them. A crimson sash with a glowing gold teardrop stamped in the center clothed her petite waist while several red strips curved around her left hip.

A gold eye sat in the middle of the shirt while gold lines ran down the center of the pants, parallel to each other, and her blue sandal-like shoes showed her toes. A red bleeding eye was tattooed onto the blonde's forehead while three white lines were above her left eye and a teardrop was below to resemble the symbol on her forehead.

Bandages covered both forearms while a black fingerless glove sat on her left hand and a silver stud glinted from the ride of her right eyebrow.

Beside the tall blonde was another blonde four years younger than her. Her blonde hair was long, reaching to her shoulder blades, while two bangs rested over either shoulder; her eyes were a magnificent sky blue.

The younger blonde wore something less exotic, choosing for a more casual style—blue jeans, a yellow T-shirt with a white triangle in the center that had a smaller gold triangle placed upside down in the middle of the large triangle, and blue and white sneakers.

"Wow, is that a Sheikah?"

"You rarely see them."

"I thought they vowed to live a secluded life in the forest…."

The tall blonde's pointed ears twitched and she gave a sharp glance at the gossiping townspeople who instantly became quiet and resumed whatever activities they had been doing.

"Loosen up, Impa," the teenager laughed as she stepped in front of her partner, walking backward with her hands clasped behind her back, "you're always so grumpy."

"I am not grumpy," Impa replied, her voice light and graceful with a British accent. "I am merely cautious, Princess Zelda."

"Stop calling me that," Zelda sighed as she turned her back to Impa, her walking more slow and resigned. "I'm not a princess…."

It was silent for a few minutes as the two began to come closer to Shibusen before Impa murmured, "You are to me."

The Sheikah hadn't meant for Zelda to hear it, but the Hylian's sensitive ears caught it and she lightly blushed.

* * *

"For the last time," Ghirahim groaned in frustration, "I will not fight you."

Ghirahim, Link, and Fi were heading out for lunch and had been accompanied by Kid, Soul, Maka, Black Star, Tsubaki, and their quiet friend called Crona.

Crona had a thin body and an androgynous appearance; Crona was just about Kid's height.

Crona's short hair was pink with large clumps sticking out in several places while the bangs were cut straight with two of them extending to hang low over Crona's face.

A monotone expression spread across Crona's face, extending into the blue eyes. Crona wore a long, black old-style robe that snuggly fit and ended mid-calf. The robe had white cuff links and a tall white button-up collar.

When Ghirahim had first seen Crona, he instantly knew that Crona was Medusa's kid. He said nothing because a look from Kid had stopped him from confirming his suspicions.

Ghirahim also had yet to see kid's two partners, Liz and Patti, but the young Shinigami had explained that the two sisters had decided to eat at the cafeteria instead of with them.

The white-haired teen had originally thought that it would just be him, Link and Fi until Black Star and the others had shown up, the annoying Star clan member pestering Ghirahim for a rematch to which Ghirahim refused…for the past five minutes.

"I won't leave you alone until I beat you!" Black Star persisted, bouncing all around Ghirahim like a child, "I'll haunt your dreams!"

"Listen, you little—" Ghirahim started, raising his hands to strangle the aggravating boy when he stopped as he heard an excited, "Link?"

Link stopped at the voice then grinned as he noticed Zelda walking up the steps with Impa behind her.

"Zelda!" Link ran up to the blonde, sweeping her up in to a hug and spinning around before setting her down. "I thought you and Impa were training with the other Sheikah."

"I was," Zelda giggled, her hands resting on Link's shoulders, "but I finished and decided I should attend DWMA to learn more."

"That's great!"

"Yeah….but, uh…maybe we should step back….I think Impa's about to kill you."

Link glanced at the silent Sheikah and even though her expression remained neutral he could practically see the fuming rays of hate directed at him.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Link laughed as he and Zelda both parted with mirroring smiles on their faces.

Ghirahim stared at the blonde, lazily keeping a struggling Black Star back with two fingers, and narrowed his eyes slightly.

She looked familiar. But he had never seen her before.

Zelda turned her eyes toward Ghirahim when she sensed his stare.

Flowing blonde hair, soulful sapphire eyes, a graceful face, and a white dress flickered in Ghirahim's memory.

Where had he seen her? A mural?

Zelda blushed and glanced to the side to avoid the teen's intense gaze.

Yes. He had definitely seen her when he had been younger on a mural; his Master had shown him.

Ghirahim stepped up beside Link, still staring at Zelda.

"Hylia?" he asked quietly, wondering if it really was the goddess who had once held the Triforce.

Zelda looked at Ghirahim, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion, but before she could ask anything she was interrupted by a gleeful shout of, "Oh, wow! A real, live Sheikah!"

They all looked to see Black Star excitedly leaping all around Impa—much like he had done to Ghirahim a few moments before—unaware that the blonde was steadily growing more and more annoyed.

"What is a Sheikah doing here? Are you Zelda's partner? Or is she your partner? Wow, you're really tall! Are you as tall as Shinigami-sama?"

Finally, Impa became aggravated at the endless questions and held out her right arm to which Black Star slammed into it before flipping on his back from the force; it was quite a comical sight.

"What was that for?" Black Star whined, coughing as he rubbed his injured throat with a worried Tsubaki beside him.

"Impa dislikes people in her personal space," Zelda explained, "she only really allows me to get away with it."

Ghirahim smirked as an idea came into his mind and he immediately went up to Impa, standing just a few inches away from her face.

"I'm invading your space," he taunted, not at all intimidated by the fact that Impa was a few inches taller than he was, "whatcha going to do about it?"

Impa raised a hand to flick his forehead, but he nimbly drifted to the side, evading her.

"Missed me."

Impa tried again, her calm façade slowly cracking as Ghirahim repeatedly dodged her advances.

Finally, the Sheikah gave a frustrated shout and began chasing after a laughing Ghirahim.

"Git back here so I can kill you!"

"I like life, thanks!"

Zelda and the others watched as Impa continued sprinting after Ghirahim, occasionally stumbling when the teen stopped and ducked under her arms to evade her grab at him, only to turn around and resuming her chase after Ghirahim.

"He has just made an enemy," Zelda sighed as they continued watching the amusing chase that was happening in front of them.

* * *

The chuckling golden crescent moon rose high into the sky, the blood dripping from its bared teeth, and transmitted its pale light on Ghirahim, who stood completely straight on a rooftop overlooking the silent and empty street below.

Ghirahim knelt down to keep himself from being seen as he summoned his dark sword to his right hand and waited.

He waited for an unsuspecting human to walk below him so that he could murder them and take their soul for his Master.

A young woman stepped out from the shadows, cautiously looking around for anything out of the ordinary.

Ghirahim lowered himself a bit, tensing to jump, as he flipped his blade out so the sharp edge glinted in the moonlight.

The woman glanced behind her and Ghirahim knew it would be the last mistake she would ever make.

"Tora, come on!" the woman called softly.

"Coming, mommy!"

Ghirahim relaxed as a boy around five trotted out of the shadows, grabbing onto his mother's hand. He sighed, his shoulders drooping, as he dropped his sword down by his side.

As the two disappeared into a nearby house, Ghirahim stood up, his sword disintegrating.

He would just have to find a meal somewhere else.

* * *

A few hours later, Ghirahim was heading down a dead-end alley, a small brown pouch hanging from his waist.

With a swift glance around, the teen paused at the brick wall before him and placed two fingers against the rough mortar. He then began dragging the tips of his fingers along the wall, going in an arc before coming back down to form a circle.

Ghirahim continued sliding his fingers along the bricks, going in intricate marks and curves as he hummed a soft, mystical tune, causing a faint green light to trail after his hand.

It followed his traces like a lost puppy until it covered half the wall in foreign marks that looked like an awkward snake trying to eat its own tail while also struggling to squeeze its prey to death.

Ghirahim placed his hands in the center of the glowing picture then slid them to the side, the brick wall vanishing to reveal a gaping black hole.

Ghirahim fearlessly entered the abyss, the wall quietly shutting behind him, the marks fading.

* * *

"Thank you, pet," his Master murmured as Ghirahim handed the shadowed male the brown pouch, "how is school?"

"It's fine…." Ghirahim answered slowly, wondering why his Master suddenly cared about how he was doing. "I'm getting used to it."

"Don't get sidetracked."

"Master Demise—"

"I do not want you to forget your search for the location of the Triforce. Even a sliver of information that gives some sort of clue will be good enough. You know that I do not like failure," the red eyes narrowed in the darkness, "do not forget."

"I won't, Master," Ghirahim muttered, giving a small bow to his shadowed master, "I will begin my search for any information I can find tomorrow. I promise. I will not fail you, Master Demise."

* * *

**What? I hope you guys didn't actually think that Ghirahim would kill the kid and his mom. :/ He's not THAT heartless, guys. He's got a conscience.**

**And the next chapter shall be fun. :3 It'll be Ghira's first mission. XD But who's his partner? :/**

**You'll all just have to wait. :D**

**Please read and reivew. :)**


	6. Village of Children

Ch.5-Village of Children

**Ugh...it took FOREVER for Fanfic to finally let me log in. *Annoyed face* I was so desperate to get this damn thing up.**

**Thank you, LostInWonderlandx for reviewing this. :3 Yup, that's right, people! I made a new friend! Take THAT!**

**And please do not send hate reviews about Crona's gender okay? I chose to make him a boy, so DEAL WITH IT. If you don't like him as boy, then don't read anymore.**

**Yeah, I'm done with my rant now. :3**

**So, I don't own Soul Eater or LoZ... :/**

**Please Read and Review. :)**

* * *

Ghirahim had to admit that he was excited—flustered even—when he learned that he was finally able to go on a mission.

He became even more giddy, however, when he heard that for this mission, and a few others, he would have a partner or even partners; he couldn't deter the idea from entering his mind that he had Link as a companion.

As he walked up the stairs leading to Shinigami-sama's platform, Ghirahim hoped to see a head of blonde hair, but all he saw was pale pink.

He stopped, staring dumbly at Crona who stood a few feet in front of Shinigami-sama.

"I have to go with _that_?" Ghirahim asked, fixing a stern glance at the reserved Meister before he looked at Shinigami-sama with a blank gaze.

Crona curled in on himself, habitually holding his right arm with his left hand as he dismally stared at the floor, apparently used to people being disappointed in him.

Shinigami-sama was apparently about to say something because he straightened slightly, but he was interrupted by a childish voice yelling, "You can't pick on my Meister like that!"

Ghirahim glanced at Crona to see a small back being half Crona's height stretching up from the Meister's shoulder blades, resting circular white hands on Crona's head.

The strange being had spikes on several parts of his body, a round head with no visible mouth and a white X on its face where the nose should have been. The x-shaped pupils of its large, Ping-Pong ball-like eyes were trained on Ghirahim.

_Ragnarok…_Ghirahim thought, recognizing the feared Demon Sword.

"Only _I _can pick on my Meister like that!" Ragnarok continued, pointing his round hands at the white-haired teen.

"Aren't you cute?" Ghirahim drawled as he flashed a cocky smirk at the miniature weapon.

"Cute?" Ragnarok asked. "Cute? ! I am _not _cute! Get over here and say that to my face!"

Ragnarok stretched out to his full length along Crona's back in an attempt to reach Ghirahim, furiously waving his arms to try and hit the teen, but came up a few inches shy of touching Ghirahim's arm.

"If I was my full height, you'd be dead by now!"

"Ragnarok…" Crona muttered, watching his weapon continue to struggle.

"Anyway…" Shinigami-sama coughed, trying to get the two Meister's attention. "Kokiri Forest has recently come under attack by a very large and powerful Kishin egg."

"How big?" Ghirahim asked.

Shinigami-sama remained quiet, opting for not explaining how hug the evil human was.

"That big," the teen sighed with a nod, "okay. Where is this Kokiri Forest?"

"There are many different villages and forests outside the range of Death City," Shinigami-sama explained, "Kokiri Forest is near the Forbidden Forest; I can use some of my power to warp you to the village's entrance, but that's as far as I can manage."

"That will be close enough," Ghirahim said, "warp away."

Shinigami-sama nodded and a black energy began to swirl around Crona and Ghirahim, slowly beginning to quick before a roiling wall of dark flames engulfed the Meisters.

The blaze gradually burned away, leaving no scorch marks on the pristine floor and no Meisters where the flames had once licked.

* * *

Ghirahim decided that he did not like being teleported by someone else as he landed in a soft patch of grass and struggled to keep his balance, his equilibrium messed up from the transportation.

"Are you okay, Ghirahim-sama?" Crona timidly asked, not at all dizzy from the ride as he was apparently used to it. "You look sick."

"I'm just not used to being teleported by someone other than myself," Ghirahim explained, shaking off his dizziness and straightening so he towered over the smaller boy as he added, "and don't call me 'sama'."

Crona immediately became panicked as he stuttered, "I-I'm sorry, Gh-Ghirahim-s-san…."

Ghirahim ignored him as he swept his eyes across the surrounding area, noticing several large tree stumps that had been hollowed out and made into houses, a thin, gurgling stream cutting them with a tiny bridge built over the water.

"This is a quaint place…" Ghirahim observed, practically feeling the energy the forest emanated; it charged him with power that tingled at the tips of his fingers. "Can you feel it?"

"F-feel what?" Crona asked nervously.

Before Ghirahim could explain what he meant, Ragnarok dragged himself up from his Meister's back and hit Crona's head.

"The energy!" the miniature Demon Sword snapped as Crona clutched his wounded head. "The energy in this place is extremely strong!"

Crona shook his head, faring if he said anything more he would get struck again.

_Maybe only weapons can feel it? _Ghirahim wondered as he began to walk forward, heading deeper into the village with Crona trotting after him.

There was a piercing shriek and Ghirahim paused as several kids of only seven ran past him.

One ran into his legs and before the kid could run off, Ghirahim grabbed the boy's shoulders.

"Where are you all going in such a hurry?"

"Away from that!" the boy yelled, pointing behind him.

Ghirahim looked in the direction the boy was pointing as a tree house was shattered and an enormous black beetle stood where the home had once been.

The upper thorax of the beetle was prolonged into a single, downward curving horn with a similar horn arching up from its forehead, giving the head and thorax a picture of two huge jaws, much like a lobster claw. Underneath the top horn were short, stiff gold hairs with the same hairs beneath the abdomen and along the edges like a decorative border.

The real jaws were hidden underneath the lower horn while the wing covers of its short body were an olive green with black spots. The two claws on the ends of its six legs were viciously curved and hooked inward.

The large beetle roared as it lifted its horns up, the bottom one lowering slightly before snapping up loudly.

Crona whimpered, trembling, while Ragnarok muttered, "Damn," and Ghirahim stared, not even noticing that he boy he held ran off.

_This thing is just one more soul away from becoming a Kishin…._Ghirahim thought as the beetle used its horns to destroy the houses on either side of it. _Did Shinigami-sama realize it was that far along?_

He summoned his sword to his hand and looked at Crona impatiently.

"Well, come on!"

"A-ah, ah, right!" Crona quickly nodded as Ragnarok disappeared, a thin tendril wrapping its way down his right arm before stretching out into a straight black rapier with a gray hilt that had spikes around the guard and a white stripe cutting down the center of the blade.

Ghirahim smirked, deciding that he would enjoy seeing a Demon Weapon in action before he charged at the beetle.

"Armored Insect Tsuyoi, we've come to take your soul!"

Tsuyoi, who had stupidly been looking around is if trying to remember where it was, locked onto the white-haired teen, its pincers twisting themselves on their sides.

Ghirahim leaped above Tsuyoi, aiming for its head, when the insect abruptly lifted up its pincers and clamped them around the teen's waist.

In his surprise, Ghirahim dropped his blade as Tsuyoi's pincers slowly began to tighten.

In an attempt not to be crushed, Ghirahim concentrated on covering his front, back and sides with rough brown skin harder than diamond before he glared at Crona, who hadn't yet moved from his spot.

"A little help would be nice over here!"

"B-but…it's so big…." Crona mumbled, the tip of Ragnarok's blade touching the damp ground. "I don't know how to deal with an enemy of that size…."

Ghirahim cursed himself for ever thinking that Crona had gotten over his shyness after the battle with Asura.

"Well do something!" Ghirahim yelled as Tsuyoi began to mercilessly shake him back and forth. "Or Tsuyoi won't have to be the only one you need to worry about!"

Crona trembled and raised Ragnarok above his head to attack when Tsuyoi gave one last shake of its head and opened its jaws, flinging Ghirahim toward the pink-haired Meister, who yelped when Ghirahim landed on top of him.

Ghirahim groaned as he disentangled himself from the stunned Crona and picked himself up before he grabbed Crona by the front of his dress-shirt-thing and started to roughly throttle the pink-haired Meister.

"I told you to help me! That's what partners do!"

"P-please stop sh-shaking me…." Crona whimpered and Ghirahim released him.

The white-haired teen called on a dagger as he watched Tsuyoi dimly walk in a circle, grumbling and snorting to itself.

"It's got horrible eyesight," he said as he summoned the sword he had dropped, "but uses its sharp sense of smell to see around it."

Ghirahim glanced at Crona, who twitched in alarm when he noticed the gaze.

"Distract it—I don't care how. I need to get to its soft underbelly to kill it. Got it?"

Crona frantically nodded, before he cut a small slice in his hand and swiping it to the right, spreading droplets of dark blood into the air which hung there like beads.

The small wound instantly closed up, leaving no sign that Crona had even cut into his flesh.

Ghirahim glanced at Crona, who gave a nod to show that he was ready, and with a return of the nod, Ghirahim charged at Tsuyoi who once again locked onto him.

Tsuyoi snapped its pincers at Ghirahim, who evaded the strike, and the tips of the pincers buried themselves in the ground.

"Now, Crona!" Ghirahim yelled as he dodged the sharp claws of Tsuyoi's front leg.

"Bloody needle!"

The drops of blood suspended in the air formed a point in the center of their bodies before a long spike exploded from each sphere, piercing Tsuyoi's head and front but not fracturing his tough armor.

Tsuyoi gave a furious shriek, throwing its head up as it lifted itself up on its back four legs.

_Perfect. _Ghirahim thought as Tsuyoi exposed its protected underbelly and stabbed his sword deep into the kishin's throat before sliding the blade the entire length of Tsuyoi's body.

Tsuyoi howled as it reared up on its hind legs, a bright glowing line where Ghirahim had struck, before the large insect suddenly exploded, turning into a black, roiling mass of dark ribbons which swirled in and around themselves to shape a red soul with a dark core and crusty red patches that covered bits and pieces of the floating sphere.

Ghirahim smiled grimly as his sword disintegrated before he looked at Crona who was timidly walking closer to him.

"You want this?"

Before Crona could answer, the sword he held coiled back up his arm and Ragnarok popped up from Crona's back.

"I prefer human souls to kishin," he chirped, resting his arms on Crona's head.

"Ragnarok…." Crona whined, apparently not at all happy with the way his weapon was using him as an arm rest.

"I'll take it for my partner, then," Ghirahim said, grabbing the soul and placing it in the small pouch he had attached to his belt before the mission.

A lie; he would eat the soul himself even though he had absolutely no desire in becoming a Death Scythe.

"Wh-where is your partner, Ghirahim-san?" Crona asked softly as if wondering if it was his place to even inquire such a thing.

Before the teen could answer the sentence he had so painstakingly prepared in case someone asked him that there were cheers from nearby and the two were instantly swarmed by a crowd of young children.

"You're really strong!"

"You beat that bad insect like it was nothing!"

"Are you guys Two-star Meisters?"

The children, who were no older than seven, continued to babble on, either pulling on Ghirahim's jacket or trying to push Crona around.

As Ghirahim sated around at the children, he realized that this village was the one he had read about when he had been younger—the village of children called the Kokiri; why hadn't he made the connection when Shinigami-sama had said Kokiri Village?

Ghirahim decided at that moment it didn't matter; they had to report back to Shinigami-sama so he could know about Tsuyoi's defeat and teleport them back to Shibusen.

"Sorry, kids," Ghirahim said as he knelt down so he was eye-level with the Kokiri children, "but we have to go."

The kids whined, all staring at Ghirahim with pathetic, doleful eyes; if Ghirahim wasn't a sucker for anything else, he was when it came to the puppy dog stare.

"Maybe we'll come back to visit sometime," Ghirahim suggested, looking back at Crona who nodded in agreement, "but right now we're really busy."

The white-haired teen looked back at the children crowded in front of him.

"So we have to leave, okay?"

The Kokiri once again complained, but nodded as Ghirahim stood up.

"Good. Come on, Crona."

"C-coming!" Crona yelled, stumbling after Ghirahim as the Kokiri waved and shouted goodbyes. "Did….did you mean what y-you said to them? That we'll visit?"

"Don't you know anything about the Kokiri?" Ghirahim inquired, looking at Crona.

At the shaking of Crona's head, he continued.

"They remain children; never growing older or dying. But they're lonely. Their village is hard to find because the Lost Woods sits in-between here and a place called the Sacred Forest Meadow. The Kokiri can also never leave their village or they will die."

"…Why?" Crona asked innocently, not understanding why such nice children were trapped in their own village.

"No one knows," Ghirahim shook his head as he knelt by a small puddle and began tracing 42-42-564 into the surface, "but the Kokiri themselves."

* * *

**Wow...I was doing this and Fanfic decided to be a bitch again. -.- Anyway, I should actually be getting the prologue for Unknown Soldier in a few moments so be patient. :3**

**That's about all I have to say. :)**

**Please read and review. :D**


	7. The riddle

Ch.6-The riddle

**Whoo-hoo! Chapter 6~! :D Yeah, betcha thought it'd be on hiatus by now, didntcha? :)**

**Hmm...I don't have much to say really... :/ So...upward and onward!**

**I don't own the LoZ or Soul Eater. :/ Damn.**

**Read and Review, please. :3**

* * *

That night, Ghirahim had spent several hours in the dark, eerily silent library searching for any information he could find on the Triforce; it was a bit hard with the old bat of a librarian, Anjean, trundling about on her little moped thing and practically catching Ghirahim several times.

Anjean was old, probably in her nineties, with her grey hair tied up into a curled bun. Her nose was hooked like a hawk's beak and her silver eyes, though wrinkled and tired, held wisdom and knowledge that no one could hope to comprehend.

She was tiny woman, only about four feet tall, though her hair gave her an extra six inches in height.

Even though Ghirahim searched practically the entire night, through the rows and rows of bookshelves on the fourth level, he found no book that gave him an inkling as to where the Triforce was hidden.

* * *

Ghirahim yawned and sighed, trying to keep his attention focused on what Stein was saying.

He had stayed up until four thirty the night before, rapidly skimming through the books that gave him headaches with the swimming words, and had completely lost track of time and the idea that, oh, he had school in two hours.

He stared at the blank paper in front of him, then back at the board where Stein was writing notes. Ghirahim sighed, looking back at his blank paper, wondering if he could just write down what Stein was telling the class.

Ghirahim pushed his paper away, deciding that he didn't care whether he had notes or not.

* * *

Once class let out, Ghirahim couldn't have been more relieved. He decided that he would take a nap until the night, going for a few hours without food not bothering him.

When he saw Link and the others ahead of him, even through his exhaustion, he couldn't help it.

"Hey, Link!"

The blonde instantly froze at Ghirahim's voice and tried to run from the inevitable, but Ghirahim had already teleported behind him, grabbed him around the waist, and pushed him against the nearest wall.

"Aww, you don't want to see me?" Ghirahim mock pouted as Link stared at him in terror. "Now, that just makes me sad…"

He turned his head to the side, mock sobbing and sniveling pathetically.

Ghirahim felt the blonde lower his guard and smirked to himself, not pausing in his act.

"Ghira—" Link started, but before he could continue, Ghirahim had quickly whipped his head around, roughly capturing Link's lips with his own.

Link immediately stiffened and his body shut down as Ghirahim continued kissing him.

With a satisfied smile, Ghirahim pulled back a few seconds later and whispered, "I told you the next time wouldn't be so gentle."

He then backed up and began walking in the direction of his dorm, waving at the group.

"Ta-ta~!"

Fi and the others stared after the retreating Ghirahim before they looked at the dumbstruck Link.

Link finally shook his head, then rapidly rubbed his arm against his mouth before shouting, "Will someone tell me what in the Goddesses' names just happened? !"

* * *

Later that night, Ghirahim headed back to the library to resume his search.

He sighed as he slowly stared at the words on the book's spines, his ear listening for any subtle change in the quiet rumbling of Anjean's motorized wheelchair chugging below him.

Ghirahim stopped, staring at a red book and the strange golden marks trailing down the side. Curiously, he pulled it form its spot, staring at the front cover which depicted a great golden bird soaring toward…

"The Triforce!" he whispered, unable to keep the giddy excitement from his voice as he read the title. "History of the Triforce…"

With a grin, Ghirahim opened the book and blinked as he came across strange foreign letters. He gave a frustrated growl as he flipped to the next page, then the next.

"I can't read Hylian….this is useless to me then!"

He continued skimming through the pages until he came to the last few, stopping when he noticed that they were written in English.

"This….riddle…" Ghirahim read it slowly, struggling to keep the letters from flipping themselves around and swimming in front of him. "Tells of the….Meister and weapon pair….that hold the….location of the Triforce…"

Ghirahim narrowed his eyes slightly, muttering, "Riddle?" to himself as he tried to process what he had just read.

The riddle lead him to the people who knew where the Triforce was hidden, but t not the Triforce itself.

When Ghirahim realized he would have to decode the riddle, he became sick with anger.

"I don't want a fucking riddle!" he yelled. "I want the Triforce!"

The wheels of Anjean's wheelchair stopped and Ghirahim cursed himself, fumbling for a sheet of paper and sloppily writing down the riddle before replacing the book where he had taken it and vanishing in a shower of colorful diamonds just as Anjean came around the corner, holding her lantern into the quiet aisle to illuminate it, but saw no one.

* * *

As Ghirahim walked down the dead hallway to head back to his dorm, he stared at his handwriting, trying to read it as he passed the flickering torches.

He sighed when he realized he couldn't and decided to sit down and carefully rewrite it so he could.

With a fresh sheet of paper in front of him, Ghirahim began the slow process of transferring what he had written to another sheet of paper, pausing occasionally to narrow his eyes and trying to figure out not only what he had wrote, but the letter in front of him.

When he finally managed to finish the transfer, he carefully read what he wrote.

"Thee who seek the Triforce be,

It lies hidden in the power of three.

One who is wise beyond all years,

And one who will not give into her fears.

The last piece be a bit hard to find,

It is guarded by the one with a single mind."

Ghirahim tilted his head to the side, understanding that the first line was telling him that the Triforce's secret was with three Meister; it was actually six, because the Meisters had their partners, but he supposed the riddle counted the pair as one person instead of two separate people.

Ghirahim sighed, deciding that he would just have to figure out who the riddle was talking about, and set to work scribbling down ideas, not bothering to care whether he could read his own handwriting or not.

* * *

By the time Ghirahim had decided that he would give up for the night, his alarm clock rang.

He glared at it hatefully, then at the gradually waking sun rising over the horizon.

Ghirahim sighed, running his hand down his face as he stood up from his desk; he hadn't even realized he had been working through the night trying to decipher the damn riddle.

_Oh well…._he decided as he scratched his neck then pulled off his shirt, going to his closet to change clothes.

A loss of one night of sleep wouldn't hurt him.

* * *

"Are you alright, Ghirahim?" Link asked when he noticed the white-haired teen enter Stein's class with a _I'll-kill-the-world _expression on his face.

Ghirahim glared murderously at the blonde, who became surprised because Ghirahim had never glared at him before.

Ghirahim sighed, his face softening when he realized he had just about gone off on Link.

"Sorry. I didn't sleep well last night and I'm tired."

He didn't explain further as he strode to his seat and plopped down.

One night of sleep was apparently going to kill him. Or make him grouchy as hell.

* * *

**Thunk! Thunk!**

When he heard the thudding of several sharp things piercing his barrier, Ghirahim slowly opened his eyes, blinking sleepily as the diamond covered shield shattered, dropping two scalpels on his desk.

He stared at them in confusion as he sat up before looking at Stein who was staring at him with hard eyes.

At least he knew where the scalpels came from.

"I think you dropped these," Ghirahim said, picking up the scalpels and expertly tossing them at the silver-haired teacher, who didn't bother to catch them, allowing the tiny knives to embed themselves in the chalkboard behind him.

"Thank you," Stein smiled as innocently as possible, if it could be called that, before turning around and resuming his writing on the backboard and his lecture.

Ghirahim rubbed his eyes as he realized that he must have fallen asleep and Stein, however unpractical his response to a sleeping student was, had tried to wake him up by throwing a scalpel at him.

If Ghirahim fell back asleep, he knew that Stein would just try to wake him up again in his unconventional way.

So, to try and keep himself awake, Ghirahim decided that he would try to continue deciphering the riddle he had found the night before.

* * *

**Yeahhh...don't fall asleep in Stein's class... o.0 He'll scalpel you. But with Ghirahim having his barrier, he'll be okay. ^_^**

**So...hope you can't wait until the next chapter because it will be fluffy. :)**

**Read and Review, please. :D**


	8. Is this friendship?

Ch.7-Is this friendship?

**Uggghhh, what is with all the bugs, Fanfic? ! It took the whole day almost for me to try and get this thing up!**

***Ahem* Anyway, there is a poll in my profile that asks which one of two stories I should continue; I would like people to do the poll so I know which story to continue.**

**You have a choice between Black Bird caged (Soul EaterxMax Ride) or Touch that hurts and heals (Black Butler). It doesn't matter which one is chosen, but I feel like I need at least five or so responses to continue one.**

**Anyway, I completely had fun with this. XD More fun than you can imagine. :)**

**I don't own Soul Eater or LoZ. :/**

**Please Read and review. :3**

* * *

Ghirahim had worked through the night to try and decipher the riddle he had found; he wanted to have it already decoded before he showed it to his master.

He heard faint talking near him, but ignored it, deciding that he didn't want to leave Stein's class until he was kicked out.

"Ghirahim."

Ghirahim disregarded whoever was trying to get his attention, not stopping in writing what he thought the riddle meant in his sloppy scrawl.

"Hey, Ghira!" someone shook the teen's shoulder to get his attention.

Annoyed, Ghirahim looked up to tell whoever was bothering him off, but stopped when he saw that it was Link. He scowled, not in the mood to be pestered by even his crush.

"What?"

"Kid and the others are heading to Kid's house to study for the upcoming test in Stein's class," Link said with a smile, not at all fazed by the glare he was receiving, "I was wondering if you wanted to join us."

Ghirahim's scowl fell and he blinked, becoming confused.

They were inviting him to go somewhere with them? He had never….been invited to join a group of people to go somewhere.

"You….want me to join you?" Ghirahim asked slowly, unable to keep the questioning out of his voice as his ear lowered slightly.

"Yeah," Link grinned before he just as quickly frowned, apparently picking up on Ghirahim's faint hesitance, "but if you can't…"

"No…." Ghirahim looked down at the paper filled with his scribblings then folded it in half as he looked back up at Link with a soft smile. "I'd like that."

* * *

Ghirahim stared up at the enormous house looming in front of him as he and the others approached it.

The mansion shared DWMA's color scheme—black walls with white patterns and adorned with symmetrically placed Shinigami skulls. Red spikes protruded from the roof with a large spike jutting from the center of the building.

There were guillotine structures on either side of the clean cut courtyard with hangman nooses dangling from the branches of the trees, a white fence running along the entire perimeter of the mansion.

"Welcome to Gallows Mansion," Kid said as he pushed open the gate and lead everyone up the stone walkway.

"You live _here_?" Ghirahim asked quietly as he glanced around in mild amazement.

"Yeah," Kid nodded, unlocking the front door and allowing everyone inside.

_Master Demise sure would love to live here…_Ghirahim mused as he gave a soft whistle.

"It's like you've never been inside a house, Ghira," Link chuckled when he noticed the teen staring around, observing the spacious kitchen and living room and even pausing at times to stare down a hallway lit with candles.

"I haven't," Ghirahim replied before he could stop himself.

"You haven't?" Link asked in surprise as he looked at Ghirahim with a raised eyebrow.

Ghirahim silently berated himself for not thinking before he spoke and cleared his throat as he corrected himself.

"I mean, I just haven't been in a house this elegant and….symmetrical."

Ghirahim knew he was preening Kid's feathers because he could practically see the young Shinigami swell with pride.

"Yes, it is quite stupendous, isn't it?" Kid asked as he and the others sat down at the low coffee table in the middle of the living room. "I take great consideration in how everything is placed."

"Sometimes, it gets a bit annoying," a voice said and everyone turned to see two girls, one Kid's age and one eleven, standing a few feet away.

The girl Kid's age had tan skin with dark blonde hair cascading to the middle of her back, dark blue eyes, and was three inches shorter than Ghirahim.

She wore pale blue denim shorts and a plain purple T-shirt.

The eleven-year-old beside the dark blonde was three inches shorter than her with chin length blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and wore loose blue denim shorts and a yellow T-shirt with brown spots placed in the center to form a giraffe.

"Hello, Liz," Kid greeted with a small smile, "Patti. Did you bring the snacks?"

"You didn't tell me you were bringing the whole school," Liz sighed, leaning her weight on one foot as she rested her right hand on her hip, holding two white plastic bags in her other hand.

"I told you I was bringing some friends over," Kid replied, giving a single blink.

_Are these his weapon partners? _Ghirahim wondered as he stared at the two blondes before him. _I was pretty certain that Shinigami didn't need any weapons._

Ghirahim suddenly noticed that the younger blonde, Patti, was staring at him with sparkling eyes.

Patti was abruptly kneeling in front of him, a few mere inches from his face, staring at him in awe.

Ghirahim leaned back slightly, a bit unnerved by how the girl so brazenly invaded his space.

Now, he supposed, he knew what others felt like when he did the same.

"Pretty…." Patti reached out a hand, lightly touching Ghirahim's diamond earring with the tips of her fingers.

Ghirahim flushed faintly as Patti leaned even closer, relentlessly poking his earring.

"Will you kindly get out of my space?" he asked, hoping the strange girl would at least back up a few inches so he could breathe.

Patti ignored him, continuing to play with his earring.

"Patti, leave him alone," Liz sighed as she passed out some drinks and snacks.

"But it's so pretty…." Patti murmured, not even stopping in her activity.

"You want it? Here," Ghirahim unlatched the earring and gave it to Patti, "but I want it back before I leave."

"Oooh…" Patti immediately hopped off of Ghirahim, holding up the earring to the light so she could watch it sparkle.

Ghirahim rolled his eyes as he straightened, pulling his can of Dr. Death closer to him, glad the strange girl was away from him.

"So, should we get started?" Kid asked as he opened his book, the others following suit.

* * *

By the following two hours, practically everyone had their heads on the table, obviously tired of studying.

"Okay, who wants to go swimming?" Liz asked tiredly and almost everyone slowly raised their hands with agreeing groans.

"Come on, Mr. Diamond!" Pattie yelled, instantly leaping to her feet and running off down the hall. "Last one dressed is a Kishin!"

Everyone looked at each other, wondering how Patti could have so much energy, before they gradually stood up and plodded down the hall after the excited blonde to change into their swimming clothes.

* * *

The pool was as large as the house and shaped like a Shinigami skull with hot tubs in the place where the eye and nose holes were supposed to go.

The teeth of the pool acted as the shallow end and slowly grew deeper, ending at a thirteen foot depth at the top half of the skull.

Kid and Crona were relaxing in one of the hot tubs, leaning their arms on the edges.

Kid wore black swimming trunks with white Shinigami skulls on the sides while Crona had on plain purple swimming trunks.

Fi sat on the side of the pool, near the teeth while Liz lay on one of the many poolside chairs to sunbathe.

Much like her shirt, Fi wore a swirled purple and blue bikini while Liz had on a sky blue bikini.

Patti stood in the middle of the shallow end, dropping Ghirahim's earring in the water, watching it sink to the bottom, then diving in to get it only to repeat the process; the young blonde wore a simple one piece that had a giraffe print pattern.

Link and Zelda played in the shallow end, engaged in a game of Mad Kishin, with Link the one yelling, 'Mad.'

Zelda wore a dark blue bikini while Link had on blue swimming trunks patterned with white clouds.

Impa sat on the side of the pool in her night black bikini, quietly watching her girlfriend and Link play.

Maka sat on the rounded corner of the deep end in her green bikini, her hair pulled back into a low ponytail, timing Soul, who was doing laps from one side of the deep end to the other, wearing his yellow and white zig-zagged swimming trunks.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki trotted around the pool in her mauve bikini, searching for her Meister who had mysteriously disappeared. "Black Star, where are you?"

Ghirahim was the last one out of the house, wearing grey swimming trunks decorated with colorful diamonds.

He sat on the opposite side of where Impa was, dipping his legs into the water like the silent Sheikah.

"Mad!" Link called before he looked back at Ghirahim, opening his eyes when he heard the white-haired teen sit down, ignoring Zelda's call of "Kishin!"

Ghirahim noticed that Link was staring at him and was pleased at the attention.

He didn't like, however, that he couldn't hide the vicious scar carved into the right side of his chest—a reminder of Demise's cruelty and intolerance to failure.

"Kishin!" Zelda said, wading up to Link to get his attention, noticing how Link seemed to just be staring at an obviously pleased Ghirahim. "Kishin!"

When Zelda shook him, link looked at her in surprise.

"What?"

"You forgot that we were playing Mad Kishin," Zelda pouted, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm sorry," Link smiled sheepishly as he scratched the back of his neck, "why don't we start over again?"

Zelda raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I'll be Mad again."

"Fine," Zelda relented, swimming away as Link closed his eyes.

"Mad!"

"Kishin!"

Ghirahim watched as the two resumed their game, mildly amused that not only had Impa gotten in the water, but Zelda was using her as a shield to protect herself from Link.

"Hey, guys!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking toward the diving board positioned at the top of the skull, spotting a proud Black Star standing at the end in his light blue swimming trunks that had a white star embroidered on the side of the right leg.

Everyone blinked, wondering what the Star clan member as up to.

"I, the great Black Star," Black Star pointed a finger to the sky, "shall now perform a daring triple axle 360 degree turn and then dive into the water!"

Everyone continued to stare at Black Star before they continued what they had been doing before being interrupted.

"Hey, don't look away!" Black Star took a step forward only to slip on the wet surface of the board, flip on his back, and get thrown into the air by the diving board.

Soul stopped in his strokes as Black Star slammed into the water's surface stomach first and watched indifferently as the blue-haired Meister slowly sank to the pool's bottom. He blinked then resumed his laps.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki screeched, quickly diving in to retrieve her partner.

Ghirahim watched with a bemused grin as Tsubaki dragged a stunned Black Star on the side of the pool; even if he was annoying, Black Star never failed to make Ghirahim smile.

Cold water suddenly covered Ghirahim from head to toe, surprising him. He glared at the three near him, knowing they were the only ones close enough to him to splash him.

Zelda had a hand over her mouth to stifle her chuckles while Link had his back to Ghirahim, his body shaking with laughter.

Impa had an irritating little smirk on her face and Ghirahim narrowed his eyes.

"Oh, it's on," he growled, slipping into the water and wading as fast as he could toward Impa who instantly began to go toward the deep end.

When Ghirahim reached the deep end, he was faster at swimming than Impa and actually reached her, grabbing her by the shoulders and forcefully shoving her under the water, holding her there until she began to struggle, then let her go.

"Payback's a bitch!" Ghirahim grinned wildly before he cackled at the drown Sheikah who was glaring murderously at him.

The next thing Ghirahim knew, he was pushed under the water and held under there until his lungs burned and he began trying to free himself.

Coughing, Ghirahim splashed around as he tried to regain his breath and bearings before he glared at Impa, who wore a very pleased smile.

"Payback's a bitch," Impa murmured, sticking her tongue out at the dripping teen.

Ghirahim growled, raising his hands to strangle the Sheikah, but was stopped when Kid yelled, "Who wants to play some water volleyball?"

As Ghirahim joined the others in a game of water volleyball, there was a quiet little thought that kept flitting through the back of his mind: _Is this friendship?_

* * *

As Ghirahim walked back to the dorm once the study session had finished, he couldn't stop smiling as he took a shortcut through an alley.

He had never experienced a day like today and he had enjoyed it.

"Did you have fun today, Ghirahim?"

"Yes," Ghirahim answered without thinking, "it was very—"

The white-haired teen stopped, a shudder running through his body as he recognize the voice.

"Master Demise…."

"No need to get defensive, my pet," Demise murmured as Ghirahim gradually faced the red eyes hovering in the darkness, "I merely wanted to know how your day went."

Ghirahim swallowed, knowing his master never wanted to know how his day went.

"F-fine…."

"Your….friends….they are not getting in the way of your mission, are they? Because I can remedy that."

"N-no!" Ghirahim quickly shook his head, hearing the threat behind his master's words. "They haven't! I…I found a riddle!"

The teen mentally congratulated himself as the red eyes widened slightly.

"A riddle?"

"Yes," Ghirahim quickly pulled out the riddle he had slipped into the page of his book, "I wanted to decipher it before I gave it to you, but…."

The paper suddenly vanished in a burst of dark flames and Ghirahim gasped.

"Master, I'm not—"

"This will do," Demise interrupted, "good job. Perhaps….you could join your friends on another one of their…study sessions."

Ghirahim's heart sped up at that.

His master would allow him to do such a thing?

"We do have to retain their trust after all."

The teen's excitement fell and he gave a quiet sigh.

"Of course, Master."

"I'm hungry," the red eyes disappeared and Ghirahim knew Demise had turned his back on him, "fetch me some souls."

"Certainly, Master."

It became silent, indicating Demise had left.

Ghirahim sighed, rubbing his eyes as his exhaustion came back full force.

It was going to be another long night.

* * *

**Mad Kishin, get it? :3 It's a play on Marco Polo. :)**

**Sorry, I just decided to do something different from Marco Polo cause c'mon! It's Soul Eater! :D**

**So how long has Ghira gone without sleep? About a week and a half. :3 Yupper. What waiting for him to collapse? :3 Yeah, not likely.**

**Please read and review. :)**


	9. What friends do

Ch.8-What friends do

**Haha, hope you enjoy this chapter. :3 I had a lot of fun with it.**

**I don't own LoZ. :/**

**Please read and review. :)**

* * *

It was several minutes past 6:30 and when Link wasn't jumped by Ghirahim like every other morning, he became a bit worried (but more so relieved) and decided to check up on the teen to make sure he was awake.

Link didn't go past the threshold as he opened the door to Ghirahim's room, spotting the white-haired teen with his back to him, curled up in a ball on his bed with his blankets at the foot of the bed.

"G-Ghirahim…" Link said quietly, hoping the teen was at least awake enough to hear him. "It's time for school."

Ghirahim shifted and Link thought he was going to get up, but the teen merely waved him away before curling up further if it was possible.

Link huffed, annoyed at the dismissal, and said louder, "You have to wake up, Ghirahim!"

Link expected to be ignored again, but became surprised when the sleeping teen flipped him off.

Getting a bit aggravated with Ghirahim, Link growled, "If you don't wake up, I swear I'm gonna—"

The blonde stopped when something stung his cheek then slowly touched it, pulling his hand back a few seconds later to see blood on his fingertips.

Horrified, he instantly whipped his head around to look behind him and saw a knife embedded in the wall across from him, a trembling Crona standing a few inches away from it, obviously just as surprised as Link.

Link looked back at Ghirahim to see the teen halfway sitting up, his right arm still outstretched, glaring murderously at him.

Ghirahim grabbed the covers at the end of his bed and pulled them over his head as he flopped back down, resuming his interrupted sleep.

Link sighed, knowing that he was never going to get Ghirahim up on his own.

"I didn't want to do this," he muttered as he turned and began heading down the nearby stairs, "but I'm getting Zelda."

When they had been younger, Zelda had always gotten Link, who was never a morning person, up.

Link knew she would be able to do the same to Ghirahim.

"Zelda," Link knocked on the closed door that lead to Zelda and Impa's room, "I need your help with something."  
A few seconds later, the door opened and Zelda, already dressed for school, stood at the threshold.

"Hey, Lin—oh, my god, what happened to your face?"

Link touched the cut on his cheek, the blood already drying, and smiled a little.

"That's why I need you. Ghirahim won't wake up. I tried to, but he threw a knife at me."

"He threw a knife at you? !"

"He got my cheek."

"What if he missed and got your head or something?"

"I think he knew what he was doing."

"But still…"

As Link and Zelda continued to talk, they never noticed the tall figure walk past them.

"Anyway, think you can do it?" Link asked as he began to head toward the stairs.

"Yeah, I think I can," Zelda grinned as she trotted after Link, putting her hands behind her back, "besides it was so much fun waking you up in the morning when we were young."

"Jumping on me and shouting in my ear was not my definition of 'fun'."

"Get the bloody 'ell up!"

The two Hylian stopped just as Ghirahim crashed into the wall beside them and slid to the ground.

Ghirahim rubbed his head with a groan, the ends of his hair dripping with water, before he glared ahead of him as he yelled, "What in the name of Asura was that for? !"

Zelda and Link looked beside them to see a very furious Impa standing at the entrance to Ghirahim's room, a bucket in her right hand.

"It's time for school," Impa said, her expression instantly returning to a neutral gaze, "so you have to get up."

"You didn't have to dump water on me and then throw me out of my room!" the white-haired teen protested as he stood up, raking his hands through is bang, "now it's going to take hours for my hair to dry."

"Stop being a wussy."

"Only if you do," Ghirahim countered with a smirk before he rapidly ducked down as the bucket was thrown at him, "hah, miss—"

Before Ghirahim could react, Impa put an arm around his throat before pinning his arms behind him.

Both Link and Zelda began to laugh as Impa and Ghirahim continued to try and immobilize the other.

As Fi came up to the group with a mildly annoyed, "What's going on?" a figure watched them with narrowed golden-brown eyes.

"So, the newbie thinks he can just weasel up to them, huh?" a low, husky voice muttered. "I don't think so."

* * *

Ghirahim was glad that his hair dried faster than expected and hadn't become tangled or frizzy.

Zelda had put a bandage on the cut Ghirahim had created before class so people didn't wonder what happened; it wasn't uncommon for Meister or weapons to have bandages, but it would raise questions if one came to class with a fresh cut.

It was lunchtime and Ghirahim was deciding to find something to eat by himself instead of with Link and the others; he was going to head to Deathbucks for lunch since they had delicious sandwiches.

"Hey, new kid."

Ghirahim was suddenly pushed against a wall, the impact causing him to drop his books as three people surrounded him.

The one in the middle was just a few inches taller than Link with a red pompadour and golden-brown eyes. He wore dark blue jeans and a red T-shirt that clung to his muscled chest.

The male to Ghirahim's left was only five foot with blue-purple hair, black eyes, and wearing black cargo shorts and a navy blue T-shirt with a gold bird on the front.

The last male was the tallest in the group, a tall six two, with blond hair shaped into a bowl cut, dull blue-grey eyes, and a round nose. He had on brown cargo pants and a green T-shirt with gold and brown lines zig-zagging through it in a strange pattern.

Ghirahim turned his head away as the red-head leaned closer to him, hands on his hips.

"So, you're all buddy-buddy with Link and Zelda, huh?"

"Your hair disgusts me. Please remove yourself."

The red-head became offended and backed up, comfortingly combing the….rat thing nested on his head.

"Who are you anyway?" Ghirahim asked, relaxing slightly when the red-head wasn't in his face anymore.

"I'm Groose," the red-head pointed to himself and Ghirahim was reminded of Black Star, "and this is my partner, Cawlin."

The dark-haired teen waved.

"And our buddy, Strich."

The tall blonde waved as well, but a bit less enthusiastic than Cawlin.

"We rule the school here, if you didn't know that, and I don't take kindly—"

"The spot's taken."

Groose blinked in surprise as Ghirahim began gathering his books.

"What?"

"Ruling the school," Ghirahim glanced up at Groose as he picked up his last book and straightened, "it's taken by Black Star."

Groose scowled and grabbed the front of Ghirahim's shirt, causing the teen to drop his books again, and pushed him back against the wall.

"I know that!" he snapped as Ghirahim rubbed the back of his head where it had connected with the wall.

"He's like the vice-vice-vice ruler of the school," Cawlin said as Ghirahim began to grow annoyed with the three in front of him, "us and Groose were here first."

"What do you want with me?" Ghirahim sighed, getting tired with the games. "I am very busy."

"Stay away from Link and Zelda, outsider," Groose leaned closer to Ghirahim to make himself clear, "you don't belong here. I can tell just by looking at you that you're not what you say you are."

Ghirahim turned his head away, a displeased expression his face, as he quietly summoned a dagger behind his back, ready to use it in case Groose didn't back off within the next few seconds.

"So stay away from them," Groose pushed against Ghirahim's chest once more as he and his lackeys backed up, "or you'll regret it."

Ghirahim scowled as Groose, Cawlin, and Strich walked away before he rubbed lightly at the diamond beneath his left eye when it began to burn slightly.

He bent down, picking up his books, and continued on his way to Deathbucks, his annoyance slowly subsiding.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Ghirahim found himself the victim of Groose's attention, whether he was near Link and Zelda or not.

He would get tripped on the way to his desk, Groose having innocently stretched out his leg to get rid of a cramp, or had his books slid off his desk when he wasn't looking.

Ghirahim didn't complain to Stein or Shinigami-sama, deciding to just endure the childish game because he had endured much, much worse than what Groose and his lackeys were doing.

By the time class had ended, Ghirahim was rubbing furiously at the diamond beneath his eye, which always seemed to burn or itch when he was beginning to lose his patience.

"Hey, there, albino," a familiar voice said as they shoved Ghirahim against a nearby wall.

Ghirahim scowled as Groose and his cohorts surrounded him once again and began to scratch at the diamond in an attempt to stop the itching.

"You just don't listen, huh?" Groose asked and Ghirahim pressed himself further against the wall, ready to kick the red-head and bolt. "Didn't I tell you to stay away from them, freak?"

"I can do whatever I want," Ghirahim growled, straightening so he was towering a few inches above Groose, "and that means if I want to be near Zelda and Link then I can do that."

"Think you're so tough just cause you beat the Star kid?" Groose grabbed the front of Ghirahim's shirt, yanking him closer. "Don't get so cocky. You're a Two-star and I'm a Three-star."

"Probably by threatening Shinigami-sama," Ghirahim muttered, glancing to the side.

"What was that?" Groose pulled the teen closer until their noses were almost touching. "You don't seem to understand what I'm telling you. Do you want us to do this the hard way?"

"I thought this was the hard way," Ghirahim drawled, tilting his head back in exasperation.

Groose's eyes widened in surprise before he raised his right hand, fingers already turned into a fist.

"That's it!"

"Groose!" a sharp voice suddenly rang out.

The three bullies twitched.

"Oh, no…" Cawlin muttered as he and Strich glanced behind them.

"It's Zelda."

Groose instantly released Ghirahim, pushing him back slightly, and turned to face Zelda who stopped just a foot away from him.

"Hey, Zelda," he said nervously, grinning apprehensively as he scratched the back of his neck.

_He's scared of her? _Ghirahim wondered in mild amusement as he began to gather his books.

"You weren't picking on Ghirahim, were you?" Zelda asked, her eyes sparking dangerously, showing she meant business.

"He tripped!" Groose quickly said, rapidly gathering the rest of Ghirahim's books, shoving them in his arms, and then putting an arm around the teen's shoulders. "I was just helping him pick them up! Right, boys?"

Cawlin and Strich both nodded hurriedly, muttering affirmatives, and Groose grinned back at Zelda.

"See?"

"He's our friend, Groose," Zelda growled, obviously not believing the red-head's lie, "so he's off limits to you and your bullies. Got it?"

Groose rapidly nodded, removing his arm from around Ghirahim and stepping away.

"Get out."

Impa, Link, and Fi stood nearby, watching as Groose and his lackeys fled with their tails between their legs.

The Sheikah gave a pleased smile as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's my girl."

Ghirahim sighed as he watched the three bullies run off.

"Thanks," he said, briefly pausing as he wondered what to call Zelda and when he couldn't think of something, he just ended with, "they were beginning to annoy me."

Zelda turned slightly and smiled, reminding Ghirahim of the almost serene look that Hylia had on the murals he had seen when he had been younger.

"It's no problem, Ghira," she said, a soft, ethereal voice hidden underneath her own, "that's what friends do."

* * *

**Haha, yeah, Groose is now a typical school bully. XD And the only reason he's a Three-star is probably cause he's a bit stupid and has a hard head.**

**I hope you enjoyed. :3**

**Please read and review. :)**


	10. Inferior vs Superior

Ch.9-Inferior vs. Superior

**Oh my gosh I'm soo happy people seem to like Dirty Little Secret. :3 I'll try to get up chapter 2 as soon as possible okay? XD**

**Thank you to Kid-kun and Breaking-Benjamin-Rules for reading and reviewing this. *Huggles* I love you guys so much.**

**And _that_ is the reason why...I have decided to update within a day~! Well, that...and I'm already on chapter 11... :)**

**So...uh, yeah, enjoy. :D**

**I don't own LoZ. :/**

**Please read and review. :D**

* * *

Link was beginning to get used to Ghirahim.

He had lately noticed that the white-haired teen had all but stopped his advances on the blonde, which pleased Link to see Ghirahim trying, even though he could see that Ghirahim was struggling a bit with his emotions.

But with Ghirahim first trying to be his friend, Link could see that he wasn't that bad of a guy; with the way his hair was shaped and the diamond beneath his left eye, Link could see that Ghirahim was just misunderstood.

Later that day, once class had let out for lunch, the group decided to go to McDeath's for lunch.

Link, Fi, Ghirahim, and an annoying Black Star sat at one booth while Maka, Soul, Impa, and Zelda were to another and Kid, Liz, Patti, and Tsubaki were to a third.

Black Star was enlightening his table with his exploits, talking about how he got the Uncanny Sword mode, defeated an expert swordsman who was now a teacher at DWMA called Mifune, and even how he practically took on Asura all by himself.

Link and Fi both politely listened to the story, nodding at all the right spots, while Ghirahim seemed bored, resting his cheek in his right hand as he slowly ate his Death fries.

_I doubt you beat him, _he thought as Black Star elucidated how huge Asura was by spreading his arms as high and wide as they could go, _he's even more powerful than my Master. I doubt that you beat him; it was probably Kid._

"And man was he powerful!" Black Star said, now standing up on his seat to which Tsubaki started to worry and tell him to sit down. "He even beat Kid!"

Ghirahim became surprised and looked at Black Star and quickly grabbed his arm, pulling him down so he was eyelevel with him.

"If Kid didn't beat Asura, who did?"

"Oh….uh, I dunno," Black Star became confused before he looked in the direction of Soul's table, "I think it was Maka. Right, Maka?"

Maka glanced at the Star member with a grin, obviously having heard Black Star's story.

"Yeah."

_No way a girl like her could defeat Asura! _Ghirahim thought as he shoved Black Star away from him. _There must have been someone else there! Someone to help her defeat him. She couldn't have done it by herself…_

Link stopped when someone wrapped their arm around his throat.

"All right," the person whispered, "give me a hug and no one gets hurt."

With a gasp, Link turned around in his seat.

"Shadow!"

Shadow was four years older than Link with night black hair, ruby red eyes, and ashen skin.

He wore black skinny Tripp pants, a navy blue tank top, and a thin black trench coat.

Standing beside Shadow was a male his age with lavender hair reaching to his shoulder blades, a tilted bang falling across his forehead and right eye, and crimson eyes.

The lavender-haired male wore black jeans, a dark purple T-shirt with a strange black symbol on the front that Ghirahim recognized as either Chinese or Japanese, and had a red scarf draped over his shoulders.

"Who's that?" Black Star asked as Link stood up and hugged Shadow.

"Oh, right," Link said as he faced his friends, arm still around Shadow's shoulders, "this is my twin brother Shadow and his weapon partner Vaati."

"Wait, Shadow?" Soul questioned.

"Shadow's your brother, Link?" Maka asked.

"What's so special about him?" Ghirahim inquired, seeing nothing interesting about the fact that Link's brother was there.

Practically everyone gasped, staring at him in surprise.

"You don't know Shadow-kun?" Tsubaki asked.

"He's like a Meister legend!" Black Star agreed.

"He became a Three-star at the age of thirteen," Kid said, "he's well-known for that feat."

Shadow chuckled as he scratched the back of his neck.

"Stop guys, you're making me blush. Really, Vaati is the one who does all the hard work. Right, Vaati?"

Shadow looked around for his partner, but couldn't find him anywhere.

"I want a Deathburger…."

Shadow looked toward the take-out counter to see the lavender-haired weapon staring up at the menu board blankly, deciding on what else he wanted.

"Vaati!"

Vaati glanced at Shadow, giving a blank blink.

"What? I'm hungry."

* * *

"So what are you doing here?" Link asked after Shadow and Vaati had gotten something to eat and joined them for lunch.

Ghirahim apparently wasn't happy and had switched tables, siting with Tsubaki, choosing to glare at Shadow from afar.

"I have a short break in-between my mission, so I decided to visit you," Shadow explained with a grin, "I'm not here long though; I leave tomorrow morning."

"Oh…." Link seemed to wilt at the news, his ears lowering as he stared at his food.

"Cheer up, little bro!" Shadow laughed as he clapped the blonde on the back. "I'll be back someday again. But it's not like the kishin are gonna kill themselves."

Ghirahim growled, crossing his arms over his chest as he continued to glare at Shadow.

"Are you jealous?" Kid asked, obviously amused by how disgruntled the white-haired teen was.

"I'm not jealous!" Ghirahim shot an evil glare at the Shinigami before he continued glowering at Shadow. "Link just seems more subdued, like he's intimidated by his brother. I don't like it."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Link had an inferiority complex," Kid said, letting his eyes drift in the direction of Link's table, "I mean, it's hard to live up to what people might expect from him because of what his brother has done. Sixteen and still a One-star…I'd dislike it, too."

Ghirahim's eyes softened as he gazed at Link.

"I didn't know."

* * *

Later that day, a kishin appeared and Link instantly took the job in destroying it and taking its soul.

The kishin resembled a dog or what used to be a dog.

The canine was practically bald with black skin and twisted limbs. Its red eyes were sunken into its skull, dead tongue lolling out of its mouth.

Fi was already transformed into a sword with a pure white blade and blue handle; Link had affectionately nicknamed her sword form the Goddess Sword, a homage to Hylia.

"Undead corpse Chimaera, I've come to take your soul."

Chimaera pulled its tongue back into its mouth as it growled, baring yellowed fangs, before it charged, body moving in a staggering zig-zag motion.

Link cautiously watched the kishin's movements, trying to determine where it was going, before he slashed out with a side swipe, managing to cut Chimaera's collarbone.

Chimaera screeched and with much more nimbleness than Link expected from it, leaped backward to put distance between it and the blonde.

The two stared at each other, waiting for the other to move, before Chimaera ran at Link with much more speed than before.

Link once again swiped at the kishin, but didn't expect it to jump above his strike then use his sword as a springboard to leap above him.

Before Link could even lift the Goddess Sword to defend himself, Chimaera was suddenly slammed into a nearby house, giving a yelp as something inside it cracked audibly.

"Oi,_ no one_ messes with_ my_ brother."

Link glanced above him to see Shadow standing on top of a roof, a double handled scythe resting against his right shoulder.

The weapon was seven feet in length, from one top of the scythe to the other, with a black handle and purple blades with holes stretching in a straight line along the steel.

"Shadow," Link said as his twin jumped down to land beside him, "Vaati."

"Need a bit of help?" Shadow asked with a smirk as Chimaera gradually got to its feet, left leg dragging along the ground as it began to circle the newcomer.

"I had it," Link protested and Shadow scoffed.

"If I hadn't come, you'd be this thing's snack."

Link pouted, his ears lowering in annoyance, but didn't continue to argue.

"I suggest you cover your ears," Shadow said, holding Vaati at an angle in front of him, "unless you want to lose a bit of your hearing."

Link's eyes widened and he sheathed Fi in the scabbard at his back before covering both his ears.

Shadow grinned and began to slowly spin Vaati in a circle, going faster and faster until his partner became a blur.

An eerie screeching noise emanated from Vaati causing Chimaera to whine and drop down, covering its head with its paws to shield its sensitive ears.

Shadow brought Vaati above his head, spinning him with one hand as the noise rose to an unbearable pitch.

Link flinched, his hands not being able to block the sound.

Shadow suddenly threw the whirling scythe which arched toward the cowering Chimaera, slicing the kishin in half before returning to Shadow's hand.

Link watched as the kishin disappeared in a scattering of brown dust, leaving its red soul behind.

The blonde pulled Fi from the sheath and flipped her up, allowing her to change back to her human form just as Vaati did the same.

"You want it?" Shadow asked, looking at Link and not even noticing his partner slowly edging toward the soul.

"Whoever defeats the kishin gets the soul," Link said, looking at Vaati, "and besides, looks like Vaati wants it more than Fi."

"Vaati!" Shadow scolded, glowering at the lavender-haired weapon only to have Vaati snatch the soul and disappear in a flurry of leaves.

The black-haired Meister sighed.

"You should see how much money I got through every week to keep the guy fed."

* * *

As the sun was setting, Link, Shadow, Vaati, Fi, and Ghirahim stood at the entrance of Death City to say goodbye to the Three-star.

"I'll be back," Shadow promised as he ruffled Link's hair when he noticed the blonde looked like he was going to cry, "don't worry."

"I'll keep writing to you and you better write back," Link said, trying to appear brave in front of his brother, but failing miserably, "and I want to know what it's like in Japan and bring me back a souvenir when you visit again."

Shadow chuckled, "All right."

He patted his brother's shoulder before he stepped back to stand beside Vaati.

"See ya, little bro."

"Bye Shad."

With a nod at Vaati, the weapon snapped his fingers and the two vanished in a swirl of dead brown leaves.

Link sighed, his ears drooping as he stared at the spot where his brother once stood.

Ghirahim noticed the blonde's sadness and raised a hand to pat him on the back only to drop it a few seconds later.

How would he comfort Link? It wasn't like he had a brother; he didn't understand how the blonde felt after seeing his brother after who knows how many years only to have him leave a day later.

There was no way he could fake it and tell Link it would be okay; he didn't know if something would happen to Shadow.

Link glanced at Ghirahim and gave a weak smile, as if understanding what the teen had tried to do, before he turned and began to walk back to DWMA.

Fi stared after her Meister before she glanced at Ghirahim and the two gazed at each other as if passing along some secret message between them before the blue-haired weapon nodded and followed after Link.

Ghirahim watched the two go.

He may not have understood what it was like to have a brother, but he understood the game of inferior vs. superior.

* * *

**I had to have Shadow appear. :3 He's just too fun not to. XD**

**And just to keep you guys in the loo, Kishin is Asura. kishin is kishin eggs or evil human. :) I'm getting kinda tired of calling the kishin 'evil humans' or 'kishin eggs' when they're technically close to becoming a Kishin.**

**So, Mifune. I hope you guys know him. ^_^ He'll appear wayyyy later...but the battle will be epic hopefully. XD**

**That's about all I have to say... :/**

**Please read and review. :D**


	11. Swap our places

Ch.10-Swap our places

**I knew this one was a bit longer than the others, so I'll keep this short and sweet. :3**

**Hi, how you doing? I'm eating Chinese and having a fun time writing this up. :D**

**I don't own LoZ.**

**Read and Review, please. :)**

* * *

It was supposed to be a simple mission—take out the evil human that had been terrorizing a nearby village and take its soul.

But like all the kishin eggs of late, the thing was anything but human.

It had forest green skin, a round body with stubby legs but powerful arms, and beady red eyes.

Two ivory horns curved up from the sides of its head with the right tusk broken in half as if the beast had gotten it stuck in something too sturdy to easily yank out and had cracked the horn in the process.

Shattered teeth lined its mouth as if someone had knocked several out and its breath stank of rancid meat. The kishin had apparently no decency as it wore a simple loincloth around its waist and wielded a huge crude axe made out of stone.

"These guys just keep getting uglier and uglier, don't they?" Ghirahim asked as he summoned his black rapier to his hand.

"That's why we were assigned to him," Link explained, grabbing Fi's hilt as she transformed to her sword form, "he's just a few more souls away from becoming a Kishin."

"I'd sure hate to have this guy running around, then."

"Boar rider Bulbin," Link announced, pointing the Goddess Sword at the creature, "we've come to take your osul."

Bulbin snarled, raising the axe above its head, swinging it around, then bringing it down with a resounding crash.

Ghirahim rolled his eyes at the display, snapping his fingers to summon several knives that circled Bulbin before embedding themselves deep in the thick flesh.

Bulbin squealed as he wildly slammed his weapon against the ground, stomping in a circle in hopes to shake off the pain.

While he was distracted, Link slashed Bulbin with his sword until the kishin egg blindly swung out its left arm to strike the blonde, but missing when Link ducked under the swipe.

"I thought you knew better than to play with your enemies," Ghirahim teased, stabbing two knives into Bulbin's shoulders before slicing his blade across its stomach.

After Link had dodged another attack made by Bulbin's arm, he responded by maturely sticking his tongue out.

Bulbin roared as he raised the axe above his head, wielding it in both hands.

Link and Ghirahim leaped to opposite sides to avoid the strike, but Bulbin was faster than the two realized as he raised his left arm slightly, ready to swipe it to the side into an unsuspecting Link.

"Link, watch out!"

Link looked in Ghirahim's direction and didn't have time to react as he was pushed to the ground.

The only thing he registered was the air whistling above his head before there was a pained grunt and a crash.

Link instantly glanced up with a gasp, instinctively looking to his right to see Ghirahim slumped against a tree far away.

"Ghirahim!"

Ghirahim gave the blonde a thumbs up as he used the tree as support to get to his feet.

Link climbed to his feet, glaring at Bulbin as the beast chortled to itself, victoriously waving its axe above its head like a flag.

"Fi, Soul Resonance now."

"Yes, Master."

As Link and Fi merged their souls, Ghirahim panted, one hand leaning against the trunk of the tree while the other wrapped around his chest as he hunched over slightly, brown skin covering his forearms slowly fading back to crystal white.

_I absorbed most of the impact with the hardened skin on my arms, but he still did a number on me..._Ghirahim gritted his teeth as pain shot through his chest and right shoulder with every breath he took, closing his eyes. _Damn it!_

He looked toward Link to see blue energy rapidly swirling around him and Fi, sinking into the sword's blade and imbuing it with azure energy.

_I hve to help him. _Ghirahim removed his hand from his chest, summoning his blade to his left hand. _He can't kill it on his own._

"Skyward Strike!" Link brought down his raised sword, unleashing the pent up energy in a crescent shaped arc.

Bulbin roared as the attack hit him and before he could retaliate, Ghirahim jumped into the air, landing on his shoulders and stabbing his blade deep into Bulbin's skull, successfully ending his existence.

Ghirahim flipped off Bulbin as the beast vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving behind its crusty red soul, and landed neatly beside Link, his sword disappearing.

"There you go," he gestured to the floating soul, "that will help you make Fi a Death Scythe, right?"

"But you finished him," Link protested, "you should take it."

"I have no use for such a thing," Ghirahim chuckled, knowing Demise would not be pleased that he declined the soul, "you have more use for it than I."

Link stared at him suspiciously for a moment before he threw Fi into the air.

"Here, Fi," Link handed her the soul as Fi landed gracefully beside him, "another soul."

"That makes 70," Fi said as she accepted the soul.

Link smiled faintly, "we're getting there."

"This is all very touching," Ghirahim interrupted, his left arm around his chest, "but I think I'm beginning to lose consciousness."

"What is it?" Link asked, instantly heading to Ghirahim's side and placing a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"My right shoulder's dislocated," Ghirahim glanced at his right arm, "as I've lost all feeling in my arm."

"A 95% probability that three ribs are cracked and one is broken," Fi put in as she stepped closer to Ghirahim and stared at him intently, "he also has a fractured collarbone and is suffering from—"

Ghirahim gave a sharp glance at Fi as Link practically forced him to lean against him and Fi became quiet, her expression still neutral as she pushed up her glasses.

"What is he suffering from?" Link looked at Fi before he stared at Ghirahim. "What's hurting you?"

"Nothing," Ghirahim replied, giving another look at Fi before he stared at the blonde, "can we go see Nygus before I decided to drop all my weight on you?"

* * *

A woman in her mid-twenties sat at a desk, working on some paperwork.

The woman had dark skin with a tattoo imprinted into her upper left shoulder, ice blue eyes, and had her hair tied into dreadlocks.

Bandages covered her entire left arm, save for her shoulder, and left hand. Bandages also wrapped around her chest in place of a shirt and entire right arm. The woman also had on green military pants.

"Mira! Mira!"

Mira glanced up from her work to see Link practically carrying an unconscious Ghirahim.

"What happened?" she asked as she stood up, motioning for Link to lay the white-haired teen on the nearby bed.

"He…he got hurt on our mission," Link sniffled, struggling to keep back the hot tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, "it's my fault. I was too slow to—"

"Do you know the severity of his wounds?" Mira asked as she began checking Ghirahim's vital signs.

Link glanced at Fi.

"Three cracked ribs, a cracked collarbone and one broken rib on his left side," Fi explained.

"A-and he said something about his shoulder," Link put in.

"Which one?"

"Um…his right one."

Mira carefully felt Ghirahim's arm, running her hands up its length, then touched his shoulder blade and the front of his shoulder.

"Dislocated," she muttered as she set about gathering the items that she needed, "I'll have to pop it back in and push the rib back into place."

"Wh-what can I do to help?" Link asked anxiously, watching Mira gather supplies from the nearby cabinet.

"You can help by leaving and letting me do my job," Mira replied, placing a few bottles and bandages on the table beside Ghirahim's bed.

"B-but—"

Mira sighed, looking at Link.

"I know you want to help. But putting any dislocated limb back or setting a rib back into place is very painful. I don't want you to have to see your friend in such pain."

Link understood what Mira was saying and looked at Ghirahim with a sigh.

"Will you tell me when I can see him?" he asked as he glanced back at Mira.

"Of course," Mira nodded.

"Thanks," Link smiled tiredly as he turned and exited the dispensary with Fi trailing after him.

* * *

The next day, Link was allowed to visit Ghirahim. He went without Fi and was surprised to find that Ghirahim was still asleep.

Mira explained she had given him some morphine which would keep him under for a while and help with the pain.

"Did you know that Ghirahim was extremely exhausted?" Mira asked as Link sat on Ghirahim's left side.

Surprised, Link looked at the nurse.

"No, I didn't."

"He also had low blood sugar and protein levels. Did you ever notice if he seemed tired or especially irritated during certain times?"

Link thought about it as he tried to remember if he had seen a tired Ghirahim.

"There was that one day he fell asleep in Stein's class," Link said, "but after that he seemed okay."

"He was probably running on adrenaline," Mira sighed as she turned and exited the room to let the two be alone.

"Why didn't you tell me you were tired?" Link muttered as he stared at the sleeping teen before him. "I would have told Shinigami-sama not to send you on that mission and none of this would have happened. I don't understand what you're thinking sometimes."

Link sighed as he shook his head.

"I guess it's my fault you got hurt. If I had been faster, you wouldn't have taken the blow for me. It's all my fault. If I could, I would swap our places. If I could just be as fast as my brother…"

"Will you…stop comparing yourself to your brother?"

Link gasped as he noticed Ghirahim staring at him with a tired glare.

"You're awake. You aren't supposed to be until tomorrow…."

"The pain woke me up as well as your incessant whining about how you aren't as good as your brother. Listen, you are you and Shadow is Shadow; you can't be each other. You both have your own talents and yours just happens to be the most stubborn, stupidest, thick-headed person I have ever met."

Link gave a weak chuckle, "should I count that as a compliment or an insult?"

"Take it as you wish," Ghirahim smiled before he gritted his teeth with a groan.

"Is it your chest?" Link asked instantly as the white-haired teen closed his eyes.

"Yeah. Just a flash of pain, it's gone now."

"Okay, how about you go back to sleep and I'll do the same?" Link crossed his arms beside Ghirahim's, resting his head on them. "I didn't get much sleep worrying about you last night."

"Oh, so now you realize your feelings for me?" Ghirahim teased and got a light bump against his arm.

"I just want to make sure my friends are all right," Link replied with a small smile, "that's what friends do, right?"

"Right," Ghirahim returned the smile and watched as Link slowly closed his eyes.

_**If I could, I would swap our places.**_

Ghirahim frowned a little as he continued to watch the sleeping blonde.

_I don't think you'd enjoy being in my shoes, Link, _he thought as he let his arm rest against Link's.

He smirked a little as the blonde unconsciously snuggled closer to his arm before he allowed his eyes to drift closed.

_But I appreciate the thought._

* * *

**I like Bulbin. :3 I hated fighting the idiot, but he's fun as a kishin. XD Anyway, hope you look forward to the next chapter. :D**

**Read and Review, please. :)**


	12. Common ground

Ch.11-Common Ground

**This went longer than I intended. ^_^ It's been a while. Hiii~! :D How you guys doing?**

**I have nothing else to say really. :/ So, I guess I'll get to it. :)**

**I don't own LoZ, Soul Eater, or Unknown Soldier by Breaking Benjamin.**

**Please read and review. :3**

* * *

Ghirahim was bored.

After his first attempt escape from the hellhole they called the dispensary (which failed when Nygus caught him sneaking out), he had no choice but to sit in his bed with a dull, persisting pain in his chest and shoulder.

He sighed for the tenth time, knowing that Nygus who was working on some paperwork at her nearby desk, could hear him.

When he got no response, the teen gave another loud sigh, adding a small, pitiful groan for effect.

"Oh, stop your groaning," Nygus said, not glancing up from her work, "I've asked a few of your friends to come and visit you over the next few days."

"Friends?" Ghirahim perked up slightly. "What friends?"

He went quiet for a few seconds before he finished, "I don't have any friends."

"Link and the others," Nygus supplied, halfway turning around in her chair to fix the white-haired teen with a blank stare. "Don't you usually hang out with them?"

"They're not my friends," Ghirahim protested, "they're more like….acquaintances that I usually hang out with."

"I think that's the definition of friendship," Nygus chuckled as she turned back to her paperwork.

"Wheee~!"

Both Ghirahim and Nygus looked toward the door as it slammed open and Stein rolled into the room only to have a spectacular faceplant when a wheel of his chair got caught on the edge of the threshold and flipped him on the ground.

The two blinked at the fallen doctor who lay twitching on the ground with his chair on top of him.

"I told you there was a metal bar underneath the door," Spirit sighed as he came up behind the apparently unconscious Stein, "but you didn't believe me and went wheeling in."

"Good morning, Stein-sama," Nygus greeted as Spirit grabbed the front of Stein's lab coat and began shaking him in the hopes of waking him up, "Spirit-sama."

"Hey," Spirit said, throttling Stein a bit faster before he dropped the scientist and went over to Ghirahim. "So how's my little buddy doing?"

Ghirahim pushed himself away from the grinning Death Scythe as he muttered, "I am not your 'little buddy.' Now please remove yourself."

Spirit pouted, obviously offended, before he grinned again.

"I heard about you and Link."

"Me and Link…?" Ghirahim questioned, wondering what the red-head meant as Spirit clamped his hands down on his shoulders, causing a small jolt of pain to shoot through his right shoulder.

Spirit stared at Ghirahim seriously before he said, "I give you my blessing."

"Your ble—what the hell are you going on about? !"

Spirit blinked as his face went blank.

"Aren't you two going out?"

"No! We're friends!"

Spirit processed this as he childishly put a finger to his lips.

"Oh, well then, I take it back. No blessing for you."

Ghirahim scowled as he brushed off his shoulders, hoping the scythe's stupidity wasn't contagious.

"Aren't you supposed to give your 'blessing' to someone dating your daughter anyway?" he asked.

"I already did," Spirit explained cheerfully, happily beginning to spin around in Stein's chair as Nygus began trying to wake the silver-haired man up.

"To who?" Ghirahim smirked as he began to lightly roll his right shoulder in an attempt to crack it. "Soul?"

"Yes."

Ghirahim stopped before he muttered, "I knew it."

"Okay!" Stein popped to his feet, yanking his chair out from underneath Spirit and sitting on it. "We give you our blessing."

"I already did," Spirit said, rubbing his hurt back, "he and Link aren't going out yet."

Stein stopped before he frowned in disappointment.

"I took off class for this?" he asked as he pushed himself toward the door.

"Ah, watch out for the—" Nygus started, but Stein had already fallen on his back as his chair flipped him again.

Ghirahim deadpanned as Spirit and Stein left.

"This school is full of kooks."

* * *

By the time noon had rolled around, Ghirahim's third escape attempt had failed.

He had even tried to get out the window beside his bed, but Nygus had been waiting outside, apparently knowing Ghirahim would try that.

Nygus kept the window open to give the bored teen some fresh air, but she never left the room, requesting that food be brought in so she could watch Ghirahim in case he tried to get out again.

"You know, I feel like I'm in jail," Ghirahim informed Nygus as they both ate lunch with the weapon never taking her eyes off him.

"Now, I don't want you to feel like you're a prisoner," Nygus said.

"Then I can leave?" Ghirahim asked a bit too eagerly for his liking.

"Nope," Nygus smiled in mock sweetness and Ghirahim sulked, his ear lowering slightly.

There was a soft knock at the door and someone asked, "Miss Mira?"

"Come in," Nygus intoned, placing her plate on the desk as she turned to face the door, smiling faintly at who she saw. "Good afternoon, Link."

"Link?" Ghirahim perked up. "Link, Link, get me out of this nuthouse! She's crazy. Crazy!"

While Nygus scowled, Link chuckled.

"I'm sure she's not crazy, Ghirahim," he said as he walked closer to the teen, "she's just trying to make sure that you heal correctly."

"But there's absolutely nothing to do here!" Ghirahim protested as Link sat in the chair beside his bed. "I'm bored to death!"

Link shook his head and handed Ghirahim a small white machine.

"Here, you can borrow my deathPod for a few days. That should take away your boredom."

Ghirahim stared at the music player, noticing that it was already on and paused on a song.

"Were you listening to this?" he asked, putting one of the ear buds in his left ear.

"Yeah, before I came here," Link said as Ghirahim pressed play and closed his eyes, listening to the song.

"I know this song," Ghirahim muttered before he began to sing softly, "Show me what it's like to dream in black and white so I can leave this world behind tonight. Full of fear, ever clear. I'll be here, fighting forever. Curious, venomous. You'll find me climbing to heaven."

"This will keep you from getting bored, right?" Link asked and Ghirahim paused the song.

"Yeah," he nodded, "thanks."

"It's no problem," Link stood up, "I should be heading back to class. Maka and the others should be visiting you tomorrow during lunch; I'll try to be with them, too."

Link waved as he walked out of the dispensary, calling, "See you later, Ghira!"

Ghirahim watched him go before he pressed play and stared down at the deathPod.

"I will get left behind…"

* * *

Like Link had said, Maka and the others visited him an hour after lunch.

They asked how he was feeling and he said he was fine, which was obviously the wrong answer as Black Star gave him a crushing hug, causing him to wince in pain when his shoulder twinged.

"You're hurting him, Black Star!" Tsubaki whimpered.

The weapon didn't have time to pry him off as Maka took care of the Star member by slamming a book down on his head.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki yelped, crouching beside Black Star, who had his hands covering his wounded head.

"You okay?" Soul asked as Ghirahim stretched his shoulder to see if it was broken.

"Yeah, just a little sore."

"Here," Maka held out a dark blue book with black letters on the front, "something to keep you occupied."

Ghirahim took the book Maka held and stared at the title, trying to read what it said, but after a few seconds he gave up so he wouldn't offend Maka or give away his disability.

"Thank you," he smiled faintly as he laid the book on his lap, "I'll be sure to return it to you when I'm finished."

Maka beamed as Soul put his hands in his jacket pocket.

"We have to head back to class now," Kid said and the group turned to leave, waving at Ghirahim. "See you later."

"Bye," Ghirahim returned the waves before he glanced down at the book on his lap.

* * *

As they got further away from the dispensary, Black Star suddenly stopped as he began searching through his pockets.

"I think I dropped my keys back in the dispensary," he muttered, looking back at the clinic.

"How did you manage to do that?" Soul asked as everyone stopped to look at the blue-haired Meister.

"My pocket has a small hole," Black Star put his hand in his left pocket and stuck his finger through a barely noticeable hole at the bottom, "I knew the key would be okay if I didn't move too fast or crouch down."

"Wow, you're really stupid," Liz said and Patti giggled.

"What?" Black Star asked, as if wondering whether he should be offended.

"Come on," Soul sighed, patting Black Star's shoulder as he steered the Star clan member back to the dispensary, "let's go get your key."

Just as the group entered the dispensary, noticing that Nygus was gone for a moment, and Soul was about to call out to Ghirahim, a book whizzed past them and struck the opposite wall.

Ghirahim grumbled to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Stupid Dyslexia…."

The white-haired teen suddenly noticed Maka and the others standing nearby and his eyes widened in surprise.

"You have Dyslexia?" Black Star asked curiously.

Before any of them could react, Ghirahim leaped out of his bed and jumped out the nearby window.

Nygus, who had just entered the dispensary in time to see Ghirahim's spectacular escape, instantly went to the window, yelling, "Hey, get back here!"

Using whatever energy he had regained from his resting in bed, Ghirahim teleported after running for a few feet.

* * *

Link entered the dispensary to see Kid and the others talking amongst themselves.

"Find him yet?"

"No."

"He's up and vanished!"

"Who's up and vanished?" Link asked before he glanced toward Ghirahim's bed to see that it was empty. "Where's Ghirahim?"

"He ran off!" Black Star exclaimed, wildly flailing his arms.

"Why did he run off?" Link repeated. "I thought Miss Mira made sure he wouldn't leave."

"She's looking for him right now," Maka said. "We've already looked, but can't find him."

"He left because we heard him say something about Dyslexia," Kid said, "and Black Star opened his big mouth."

"I didn't anything wrong!" Black Star protested. "I was curious!"

Link thoughtfully put his hand to his chin.

"And you've looked everywhere?"

"Everywhere we thought he would be," Soul said with a shrug.

Link smiled a bit as he said, "I think I may know where he is."

* * *

Link sighed as he stood before the large maze of rose bushes that belonged to Shinigami-sama.

The place brought back memories of when he had been younger and he imagined himself at the age of six running into the maze, crying.

Link began to follow the ghost of his past self, now taking the time to learn that the roses still smelled fresh and crisp, imparting how well-cared for they were.

He passed the dead-ends and the corridors that would cause one to go in a circle, never losing track of his phantom.

The blonde eventually came out into a dirt paved garden filed with many different trees of shapes, sizes, and leaf colors.

But he didn't stop, heading deeper into the small garden until he came to a cherry blossom and said nothing as he sat at the base, stretching out his legs.

It remained silent for a few more minutes, the soft sighing of the wind the only sound, before Ghirahim asked from the other side of the trunk, "How'd you know where I was?"

"I used to come here when I was younger. Shadow always found me, saying he had an LPS to know where I was."

"LPS…?"

"Link Positioning System."

There was a soft chuckle from the white-haired teen.

"You know, it was never established that you had Dyslexia."

"I didn't want anyone to find out," Ghirahim muttered, "I had a hard time with it as a kid since everyone picked on me because of it."

"Well, here's my little secret," Link looked around the trunk of the sakura tree and Ghirahim did the same, "I also have Dyslexia."

Ghirahim furrowed his eyebrows.

"You do?"

"Me, my brother…all Hylians have it because we're hardwired for Hylian, not English."

"I never learned Hylian," Ghirahim shook his head as he pulled it back.

"I can teach you," Link said and Ghirahim looked back at him, "if you want me to."

"Of course."

Link picked up a nearby tick and began drawing strange symbols in the dirt as Ghirahim gradually came to sit beside him. "That's why I always write in Hylian. Stein also learned it so he could translate my writing."

Ghirahim watched as Link finished the last symbol, noticing that there were four of them.

"Can you read this?"

"Is it Maka?"

"These two," Link pointed to the middle and last letter, "would be the same if it were."

"Impa?"

"No."

"Soul?"

"No, it's my name," Link wrote 'Link' beneath the symbols before he drew an upside down triangle with a line above it. "That's A."

"Okay," Ghirahim tried to imitate Link's handwriting, but it only turned out to be a wavy mess.

"We'll work on your penmanship next," Link chuckled, writing a P with a line connected to the bottom, "This is a B."

"All right."

As Link wrote down the entire Hylian alphabet, Ghirahim copied what letter he drew to remember it.

"Thank you," Ghirahim muttered quietly as Link began to have him change certain words from English into Hylian and vice versa.

"For what?" Link hummed, smiling to himself as he continued to check off Ghirahim's scribbles when they were correct. "Actually, this one was cat, not bat."

Ghirahim frowned as he looked back over his Hylian alphabet and saw that he had mixed up B and C. He scribbled out his error and wrote in the correct one.

"For understanding."

* * *

**What, seriously, you guys didn't get it in chapter 6? :/ I tried to drop as many hints as I could. :3 But, oh well, now you know. XD**

**And don't these two just make the cutests couple? ! XD**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. :D**

**Please read and review.**


	13. Always there

Ch.12-Always there

**Is it just me or when you look at autumn on the page or on the computer, it looks weird? I was staring at it and I was like, "Wait, that doesn't look like I spelled it right..."**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I had fun with it. XD Shadow amuses me so much with the personality I've given him.**

**I don't own LoZ or Soul Eater. :/**

**Please read and review. :3**

* * *

It hadn't been pretty when Ghirahim and Link had finally returned to the dispensary when the sleepy sun was slowly beginning to set and the grinning moon began to take the stage.

When Nygus saw the two she instantly went into a frenzy, practically throttling the life from him and telling the teen how stupid he was before beginning to scold Link for not bringing him back sooner.

After her frustration and worry was gone, Nygus transformed back to the calm nurse, checking over Ghirahim's chest and shoulder for any new wounds, only spotting some aggravation to his shoulder which Nygus had created when she had shaken Ghirahim.

"I think she snapped a muscle," Ghirahim muttered as he rubbed his arm, which was in a sling to prevent him from moving his shoulder.

"I know she can be a little rough sometimes," Link chuckled as he sat in the chair beside Ghirahim's bed, "but she means well. Shadow and I have been on the receiving end of her scolds for years."

Ghirahim tilted his head slightly when he saw Link staring out the window with faraway eyes as if he could see something no one else could.

"Was it really that bad with your Dyslexia?"

"Not that hard; Shadow protected me from any bullies. Ever since I could remember, we lived on the streets."

"What about your parents?"

"Don't know; I was only three and Shadow never talked about them. I don't remember much, but I know we had to scrounge around for food to just survive until the next day."

Ghirahim's gaze drifted to the side as he muttered, "Yeah, I know what it's like."

"Huh?" Link looked at the white-haired teen in confusion.

"Nothing," Ghirahim shook his head as he stared back at Link, eyes curious. "But why did you become a Meister, then? Wouldn't you have had resentment toward the DWMA since they didn't seem to know that you two even existed?"

"Because," Link smiled faintly, "it was a Meister who saved my brother and I from getting our souls taken by a kishin."

* * *

_A pair of red eyes peeked over the cart's edge, staring hungrily at the small pyramid of crimson apples, then flickered to the owner of the cart who had his back turned as he talked to a woman about the mangos._

_Cautiously, the seven-year-old grabbed an apple, shoving it in the pocket of his faded and torn jeans before he snatched another and then finally took the loaf of bread resting nearby before scampering off with a quiet chuckle._

_The owner bid the woman farewell then turned to set the loaf of bread he had placed beside his stack of apples back with the other bread._

_He quickly searched around when he saw that it was gone then looked underneath his cart, thinking he had dropped it._

* * *

_As Shadow neared the alley where he and his younger brother stayed, he heard a ferocious growl and Link cry, "Shadey!"_

_Cornering the three-year-old was a large kishin in the form of a raccoon with smoldering red eyes and needle point teeth._

"_Oi, stupid!" Shadow threw one of the apples at the kishin, striking the back of its head._

_With a soft growl, the kishin slowly turned, fixing the black-haired child with furious crimson orbs._

"_Leave my brother alone, you dumb animal!"_

_The kishin shook its head when the second apple hit its forehead then snarled at Shadow as it charged, teeth dripping with saliva._

_Shadow ran at the kishin then slid underneath it to avoid its snap at him and ran toward Link, standing in front of him and holding onto the loaf of bread as if he were holding a sword._

_With a confused snort, the huge raccoon stopped, rapidly glancing around for Shadow before it turned to face the two brothers and narrowed its eyes as it snarled._

_Shadow growled back at it, baring his teeth._

_The kishin roared, dashing at the two once more, but before it could even get two feet, three thick arrows sank into its chest, causing it to howl in pain, trip over its own feet, and collapse to the ground._

"_You two okay?" a voice asked as a male around twenty-three landed in front of Shadow, wielding a silver and red crossbow._

_His spiky hair was purple and eyes an emerald green. He wore a thin black trench coat with no shirt beneath it and black cargo shorts._

_The man glanced back at Shadow and Link as the kishin slowly clambered to its feet._

_He said nothing, only gave a smile, before he turned back to the kishin and shot two more arrows, hitting the beast's forehead and easily destroying it._

_The Meister flipped his weapon partner into the air and a woman his age landed beside him, chocolate brown hair resting neatly around her shoulders and brown eyes kind._

_She wore blue jeans and a plain white tank top._

_As the woman took the kishin's soul, the man faced Shadow and Link with a grin._

"_Hey, there, little guys. I'm Sunao Igan and this here is my partner, Autumn Bara."_

_The woman stepped up beside Sunao and gave a small bow._

"_How do you do?" she asked politely._

_Shadow growled at the two, still holding up the loaf of bread in front of him as he used his other arm to push Link back._

"_How do you do what?" Link asked childishly, poking his head underneath Shadow's arm to look at the Meister and his partner._

_The two looked at each other before they laughed._

"_Isn't he just the cutest thing?" Autumn asked sweetly._

_Shadow scowled at the two and tossed the bread at Sunao, hitting his head._

"_Stop laughing at my brother or I'll bite you!"_

_While Sunao rubbed his wounded head, Autumnn crouched in front of the two children, causing Shadow to bristle in alarm and snap his teeth in warning._

"_Where are your parents?" she questioned._

"_Our parents left us," Shadow said, giving a quick glance at Link._

_Autumn understood the underlying meaning of the words._

"_I'm sorry that happened," she said and looked at Sunao. "We should take them to the DWMA."_

_"I don't think Shinigami-sama would like us taking in strays," Sunao said as he stopped rubbing his head._

_Before Shadow could stop him, Link ran up to Autumn and pulled on her hand to get her attention._

_"Does this BWMA have food?" he asked._

_Autumn chuckled, "Yes. Yes, it has all the food you can eat."_

_With a gasp, Link looked back at Shadow with a grin._

"_It has food, Shadey! We should go!"_

"_We can't trust them, Link," Shadow protested, "What have they ever done for us? No, we should—"_

"_All right, c'mon, little guy," Sunao said, picking Shadow up by the back of his shirt while Autumn gathered Link in her arms. "Let's go to Shibusen."_

_"Let me go!" Shadow began to struggle, trying to hit Sunao with his hands and kicking his legs. "Let me go, bastard!"_

_"Such a foul mouth for a child," Sunao muttered, apparently amused by Shadow's vain attempts at freedom._

* * *

_Despite many protests and curses, Shadow eventually grew accustomed to life at DMWA._

_It was difficult for him and Link to read and write and Sunao thought it was because they had lived on the streets._

_They soon learned it was because the two had Dyslexia._

_Sunao then concluded that maybe the two should try to learn Hylian, an ancient writing system for Hylians. He suggested that maybe it was because the two were Hylian that they couldn't read English._

_Even though he wasn't Hylian, Sunao taught them the bygone alphabet, saying he had once been to a city called Skyloft which, to him, was ironic since the town wasn't even located in the sky._

_Shadow briefly mentioned their parents had been from Skyloft, but had moved to Death City for some reason._

_He said nothing more after that._

_When many of the other students learned of their disability, a few picked on Link, who was shy, the opposite of his outgoing brother._

_Of course, Shadow would soon come to Link's rescue and began attacking the offenders, clawing and biting them until they ran off crying._

_He became known as the Black Demon and no one messed with him, never openly taunting him about his Dyslexia._

_At the age of nine, Shadow already found his partner, a shy, indifferent boy by the name of Vaati._

_Everyone was surprised at how compatible the two were, since it was hard to find a partner that perfectly matched the other's soul wavelength._

_Sunao and Autumn, who had become like Link and Shadow's parents, were proud of the dark-haired boy while Link was a bit jealous._

_He liked Vaati, since the boy didn't make fun of their Dyslexia since he had it as well, but Link wanted to find his partner soon; five was too young to have a weapon partner anyway._

_Shadow and Vaati became famous after that. At ten, Shadow turned into a Two-star Meister. And then three years later he was a Three-star, the youngest at DWMA._

_Link didn't mind; he had made his own friends and he was learning to handle his Dyslexia and the complex slowly beginning to form._

_Shadow soon left, as he was allowed to travel to other states to help keep the kishin population down._

_The two promised to write to each other and Shadow vowed that one day he would return to visit._

_Sunao and Autumn of course went with Shadow and Vaati to help them._

_A year later, Shadow wrote to Link that Sunao and Autumn had been killed by a rogue kishin._

_Link was devastated by the news, but he knew that everything died eventually._

_When he was eleven, Link finally found his partner._

_It had been after a group of kids had bullied him about his Dyslexia and he hid in his usual spot—underneath the cherry blossom tree at the far end of Shinigami-sama's rose maze._

_He had been crying, still not used to having Shadow not come to comfort him, and when he had looked up he saw a girl his age hanging upside down from a nearby branch, staring at him blankly._

_It surprised him and he had quickly stumbled back, tripping over a root of the tree._

_The girl flipped over, holding onto the branch with her hands before dropping to the ground and heading over to Link._

_He learned that her name was Fi and she was a strange, polite girl who was a weapon._

_The two instantly got along._

_When Link was 14, just a few months from turning 15, Asura attacked._

_He was disappointed when he was told by Spirit and Stein that he could not join his friends in battle against the Kishin, but he knew that he would probably just get in the way._

_He was relieved when Maka and the other returned alright and everything around Death City calmed down with only the occasional kishin appearing._

* * *

"Wait, the coat that your brother has," Ghirahim said after Link had finished the story.

"That's Sunao's. Shadow took it to remember the one who saved us from dying."

Ghirahim stared at his lap, unsure of what else to say.

"Hey, Ghira…"

"Huh?" Ghirahim glanced up at the blonde. "What is it, Link?"

"Now that I've told you my past, will you tell me yours?"

Ghirahim tensed up a bit, his entire demeanor becoming uneasy as he gripped his bed sheets with his free hand.

"Maybe someday…" He mumbled, glancing off to the side to avoid Link's gaze.

* * *

**Yes, yes, we are all curious about Ghira's past...but I won't be explaining it for a while so you're just gonna have to have fun trying to guess. :3**

**I hope you can't wait for the next chapter because I'm gonna explain how Impa and Zelda met. XD**

**Anyway, I hope you had fun with this chapter and can't wait for the next one. :)**

**Please remember to read and review. :3**


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